Sleeping Dragons
by Gemini8
Summary: A Post-Hogwarts fic: Harry, Ron and Hermione are 25 and living an apparently normal life on the surface. Lots of old characters resurface and a few familiar faces return... Finished!
1. Of Weasleys and Weddings

Weasley Family Reunion

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to the great and wonderful J.K. Rowling. 

Author's Note: This fic is set seven years after Harry, Ron and Hermione's graduation. I urge the shippers of H/H and D/G to look past the, well, lack of it. This is my first piece of fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it! I'd appreciate any constructive criticism and/or comments. If you'd like to send an email, please do so at stardust_gc@hotmail.com

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Chapter One: Of Weasleys and Weddings

By Stardust

"Hermione! Are you almost done?" Ron yelled, waiting in the living room. "It starts in five minutes!" 

I was in our bedroom upstairs. I had come home from work only an hour earlier and had almost no time to prepare myself. After a quick shower, I was frantically trying to flatten my hair. Since Hogwarts, it managed to tame itself, but still retained a few of its former characteristics. I made a mental note to myself to buy some new Sleekeasy's Hair Potion next time I was in Diagon Alley. "I'm coming… Just wait please." I grabbed my Ministry report from the dresser and rushed downstairs to where Ron was waiting.

"Took you long enough," he said, kissing my cheek. "You look beautiful." He had changed into more formal robes, but still managed to stay casual. Ron hated formality.

"Thanks," I replied. "I'm sorry, I wanted to freshen up so I don't look like I work twenty-four hours a day." We smiled at each other, knowing full well that if I could work for twenty-four hours a day, I would. I walked to the corner of the room, pulled up the floorboard and put my report inside, sealing the compartment shut with my wand.

Tonight was the tri-monthly dinner that we all attended. The Weasleys were all on different schedules. Getting them together was tough, but Ron's parents managed to do a good job of bringing us together every few months to catch up and stay in touch. We were spread around even though Bill had transferred to the Gringotts bank in Diagon Alley. Charlie was still the furthest away in Romania with his wife, Samantha.

Though Ginny, with Harry, still lived near us, she traveled so often that her schedule was almost impossible to coordinate. She became an entertainment reporter for _Witchbeat_ after outgrowing her shy and reserved personality in her school days. Often, though, there were a few articles about herself in the magazine because of her relationship with the famous heartthrob, Harry Potter. During her sixth year, she had finally confessed to Harry what she felt (though he already had a sneaking suspicion) so he wouldn't leave Hogwarts not knowing. They began dating two years after Ginny herself graduated Hogwarts. Five years later and they were still together. As for Harry, he played alongside Ron on the Chudley Cannons, a team who moved up in the league since they got Harry as a Seeker and Ron as a Keeper.

Ron and I married five years after graduating Hogwarts. In fact, our second wedding anniversary is in a few weeks. I used to have such a schoolgirl crush on him during my early years and I think he had begun to suspect something after we had that awful row the night of theYule Ball. Our friendship became a bit strained after I told him that my parents and I were going to vacation in Bulgaria that summer. But we had no time to quarrel in our last three years at Hogwarts; the Dark War had gotten to us all. But I'll never forget that last day in our seventh year, when he first asked me if I wanted to go on a date with him after our graduation ceremony. He was stumbling over his words and his ears glowed an amazing shade of red. His eyes kept darting behind me and when I turned around I caught Harry, Seamus and Dean, all sitting on one of the couches, giving him encouraging looks and a thumbs up each. When they saw me looking, they looked like deer caught in headlights and quickly turned to open the upside-down books in front of them. I still tease him about that, but he just smiles as if recalling a fond memory. 

Ron reached for the Floo powder jar by our fireplace. "Are you sure you have everything?" he asked. I nodded. "Here goes then." 

He tossed some powder into the fire, which glowed a bright emerald green. "Ladies first," he said, gesturing me into the fire. I stepped in and shouted, "The Burrow!" Keeping my arms tucked in and my eyes closed, I felt myself being transported. I disliked traveling by Floo powder, but it was safer than Apparating and easier than a Portkey enchantment. A few seconds later, I stumbled out of the fireplace in the Burrow's kitchen to find myself being steadied by Harry. 

"Hermione!" He grabbed me in a big bear hug and lifted me well off my feet. "Haven't seen you since I got back from the Caribbean." 

I laughed and returned the hug. "Well, if you weren't always off gallivanting somewhere with my sister-in-law, I'd see you more often!"

"Who's talking about gallivanting?" Ginny stood by Harry's side with a grin on her face. Harry let me go and she stepped forward to give me a hug too. 

I felt Ron come out the fire from behind me and let Ginny go so she could rush and almost attack him with a hug. Harry followed suit, but instead of a hug, he and Ron simply clapped each other on the back a few times. Ginny and I rolled our eyes at each other.

"You're here!" I heard. Molly and Arthur came into the kitchen and greeted us. They were beginning to show their age, having been grandparents for six years already. Arthur's hairline was non-existent and Molly had that glow that grandmothers get when they had the chance to spoil their grandchildren. "Dinner's almost done here; we were just saying hello to Bill and Abby in the living room."

"Abby?" inquired Ron.

"Bill's girlfriend of the month," whispered Ginny into his ear. 

Molly frowned at Ginny. "You kids go on ahead and say hi to the others. I'll finish up in here." She herded us towards the living room.

"Harry, can I talk to you for a second?" asked Arthur, beckoning Harry into another room on the opposite side of the kitchen. 

The rest of us walked out into the living room leaving Molly behind to put the finishing touches on the dinner. The Burrow was much nicer looking since the times I had visited it during our Hogwarts days. Since Voldemort's second defeat in our seventh year, Arthur accepted the promotion at the Ministry and had escalated upwards ever since. He became the Minister a few years later, and the Weasleys have long lost their status as a poor wizarding family.

I saw Bill with a brown-haired girl I had never seen before, Fred and a very pregnant Angelina, and Percy with Penelope and two of their kids, Emma and Charlotte. Their eight-month-old daughter was nowhere to be seen. The two girls threw themselves at Ron while we exchanged greetings with Percy and Penelope.

"Where's Bethanie tonight?" asked Ron.

"Home with a sitter," replied Percy glumly. "She's a little sick so we thought it'd be safer if she didn't come." Percy's tight work schedule alongside me at the Ministry of Magic allowed him little leisure time, and all of it was spent with his family.

I had seen Percy already that day at the Ministry so I walked over to Angelina. "Oh, Hermione, I feel like I'm going to just fall over any second," she wailed. I tried to embrace her but her large belly was in the way. Fred came over to us after chatting with Ron about the Cannons' future games.

"It'll all be worth it when they arrive, dear," he said, putting an arm around her waist. Angelina and Fred looked so different that we all wanted to know what the twins would look like when they were born. Fred's red hair and fair skin were completely different from Angelina's black locks and chocolate complexion. The two had married in the same year as George and Katie (though still many months apart) after Fred and George successfully established Weasley's Wizard Wheezes in Hogsmeade. They had settled down and each pair owned a flat near the store. 

"I know," she replied. "I can't wait till I can get back into Quidditch. My team needs me!" Angelina played for the Falmouth Falcons. "I've been keeping track of their game," she explained to me, "and they're not faring so well while I'm pregnant and Katie's gone to a reserve status." Katie Bell had taken to being a reserve player on the Falmouth Falcons a few months after she gave birth to Alden. The two former Gryffindor Chasers had gone on into professional Quidditch along with Alicia Spinnet, who had been snapped up by another team. Last I heard, she was still together with Lee Jordan.

"Where're the others?" I asked. 

"Charlie and Samantha are using a Portkey so they'll be here soon…" Fred answered. Two thumps and a happy voice that could be identified as Molly drifted from the kitchen into the living room. "And I think George and Katie have just arrived."

Sure enough, George and Katie walked in a moment later accompanied by Alden who was hanging onto Katie by her neck. It was unsafe to let little kids travel by themselves using Floo powder. "Hello, hello!" cried George. Alden detached himself from Katie's hand and ran over to the rest of his cousins. 

"We come bearing gifts," said Katie. She carried a small parcel over to Angelina. "This is from Alicia. She says she's sorry she couldn't make it to the shower." Angelina opened the gift and held up two small jumpers, one pink and one blue. The fronts were enchanted to change pictures every few seconds. Everyone was oohing and aahing when Charlie and Samantha made their appearance in our midst, holding onto an old book, along with six year old Leo and four year old Maddie. The living room was getting crowded.

Harry walked in alone, looking grim. I saw Ron shoot him a questioning look, but he simply shook his head and mouthed, _Later_. He joined Bill and Abby in the corner and began to strike up a conversation with them.

I was chatting with Percy and Charlie about dragon skin and its uses when Molly hollered, "Dinner's ready!" There was sudden stampede towards the dining room where delicious aromas were emanating. 

"Gather around everyone," said Arthur. We took our appropriate places around the table with Molly and Arthur at either end. Almost instantly, we began talking and comparing stories.

Penelope and Samantha had engaged Angelina in a discussion about having children and how it changed their lives. "You will be so amazed at what it's like," Penelope was saying. (Katie chimed in from the other end of the table with, "And you lose a lot of sleep!") Thank goodness I wasn't going through that yet. I couldn't imagine not being able to work for so long. I once confided this to Ginny, who simply just gave me an incredulous look, then left it alone after realizing it was me speaking. It's well known that I love my work.

"Then Jackson passed back to Clifford but by then Chang had already gotten the Snitch! It was _so_ close." Ron was relating last month's Cannons vs. Arrows match to Charlie. "Of course we would have won but Harry was off in the Caribbean." Harry looked apologetic as he took a piece of the turkey pie. I couldn't help but notice that he looked a little tense.

"Emma, dear, have some more peas. They're good for you." Molly, of course.

Percy was telling me, "And then he just dumped the papers on my desk and asked me to finish them within the hour. The hour! As if I could write up a report of world wide wizarding trade relations within the hour!"

Bill was near the end of the table with Abby. I could catch little snippets of their conversation. "And that's Katie, she's George's wife… Leo over there is the oldest of the nieces and nephews, he's six… That's Harry. Oh, of course, you know who _he_ is… That's Ron's wife, Hermione, she's part of the Research of Dark Arts Defense Department at the Ministry…" Abby was nodding and looking as if she was concentrating, trying to memorize every fact Bill gave her.

"Excuse me, can I have your attention, please?" Arthur stood up, clinking his spoon on his wineglass. He waited for us to quiet down. "Prior to dinner tonight, Harry asked me if he could make an important announcement during dinner." His eyes twinkled. "Harry?"

Harry stood up, walked a few feet away from the table and gestured for Ginny to stand alongside him. The rest of us gave each other grins and nudges. We had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen. 

"Ginny," he began, his voice wavering. "I first saw you when I was eleven chasing after the Hogwarts train at King's Cross." His voice steadied. "I knew you as Ron's sister in my second year when we grew closer after I came to your rescue in the Chamber of Secrets." We laughed. Abby looked puzzled. "We became close friends in fifth year," he paused with a knowing look on his face, "and then something more after we graduated." He got down on one knee, pulled out a small velvet box and smiled nervously as Ginny gave a little squeal of excitement. We, particularly the wives at the table, stared in awe at the huge, sparkling diamond,. "Virginia Weasley, will you do me the honour of being my wife?" His last few words were drowned out as we whooped and catcalled around the table.

  
She let out what sounded like an "Of course!" and promptly began to cry. Harry chuckled, relieved, and gathered her into his arms. We cheered louder when he put the ring on her finger. ("That's one big rock, Ginny!" whooped Fred.) Following the others, Ron grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the newly engaged pair to congratulate them. 

* * *

"So when's the wedding, Harry?" asked Bill, grinning.

"Hmm?" Harry looked dazed. "Oh, uh… Ginny?"

Ginny turned to him from her conversation with Angelina and Katie. "Oh, a spring wedding would be nice. You know what'd be wonderful though - a sort of winter wonderland kind of theme. Maybe we could enchant the hall to let down a bit of snow? Though summer would be nice: an outdoors reception and everything…"

Fred leaned over to Harry who looked a little alarmed. "Just let her do everything. Trust me."

"Are you sure you're all full?" Molly asked us for the third time. 

"Please, Mum, I can't eat another bite," said Ron. Those around the table heartily agreed with him. 

"Molly, you've certainly outdone yourself this time," said Samantha. She was sitting nestled into Charlie's shoulder.

Penelope, who we all enjoyed referring to as a 'Miniature Molly,' turned to her two daughters, "What do you say, kids?"

"Thanks, Gramma," they chorused. Percy grinned proudly and reached out to tousle Charlotte's hair. 

"Percy," groaned Charlie, "I only wish my kids were as well-behaved as yours." His kids, Maddie and Leo, gave him patronizing looks.

Ron bent over to me. "When we have kids," he whispered, "let's have them go wild, okay?" 

I smiled and whispered back, "Let's also buy them lots of books." He grimaced and turned back to the table.

I looked at those around me. Molly and Arthur sat together at the head of the table, playing with a few of their grandchildren. Ginny was showing off her ring to Charlie and Bill. Fred and George were running around with Percy's little girls. And Harry… Harry was staring off into space, fiddling with a fork in his hand. I frowned. Something was wrong. I had dismissed his behavior as anxiety with the proposal but I now knew that wasn't it.

I had no time think, though, because at that moment, someone knocked on the front door. We all looked at each other, no one really wanting to have to go answer. Finally, Charlie sighed. "I'll get it."

He left us and a few moments later we heard the door open. We heard a happy "Hello!" from Charlie, then a low voice speaking in earnest. Charlie came back into the dining room. "Harry, Ron, Hermione," he said. "Remus Lupin's here. He wants to speak with you." 

Ron and I looked at each other puzzled, but Harry simply nodded and rose to meet Remus. After excusing ourselves, we followed.


	2. Back to Bulgaria

Chapter Two:

Disclaimer: Any Harry Potter references that you might spot (ie. Pretty much everything) belongs to the great and wonderful J.K. Rowling. I've simply borrowed the characters and their world for now, but will return them when I'm finished.

Author's Note: This fic is set seven years after Harry, Ron and Hermione's graduation. I urge the shippers of H/H and D/G to look past the, well, lack of it. This is my first piece of fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it! I'd appreciate any constructive criticism and/or comments. 

****

Chapter Two: Back to Bulgaria

By Stardust

When Ron and I reached the front door, Harry and Remus were conversing swiftly. Remus saw us approaching and beckoned us all to another room, farther away from the others sitting in the dining room. 

We stepped into the Arthur's den with Remus closing the door behind us. 

"Remus, what's wrong?" I asked. 

"Something's come up," he answered. "Malfoy's been spotted."

I gasped. Ron looked shocked. "What? Where? When?"

"Someone in Bulgaria saw him and reported the sighting to the Minister there," said Harry. "Your dad was telling me earlier about it. He thought I should know."

"Wait a second," I said. "Which Malfoy are you talking about?"

"It was Draco," replied Remus. "But no doubt Lucius and Narcissa are with him. The poor man who saw them apparated to the Bulgarian Ministry right away and reported everything. He lives in a cabin in the northern forests. Apparently, he saw someone who looked like Draco walk past his house deeper into the woods."

We stood, thinking about what the sighting might mean. Harry had defeated Voldemort by performing the Avada Kedavra curse on him eight years ago. It was the ultimate showdown. Voldemort was trapped alone in the house of his father, which was surrounded by Aurors. Harry bolted for the house and made us stay behind. Fifteen minutes later, the house went up in flames and he emerged, bloody, battered, and victorius. The Death Eaters went into hiding, including the Malfoy family. 

"What are we going to do about this?" asked Ron.

Remus reached into his robes and took out three envelopes. "I've got your orders right here." He passed out one to each of us. "I've got to get back to the headquarters. These should contain everything you need." We walked him to the front door. Since the Weasleys were just in the next room, he whispered to me and Ron, "Sirius will contact you at ten o'clock tonight so read it by then. Remember to destroy them when you're done." Ron and I would have to relay whatever Sirius told us to Harry who couldn't afford to be contacted in Ginny's flat when she was around.

"If anyone asks why I was here, just tell them I needed to see Hermione about her visit on Wednesday," said Remus, walking out the door. I was to be a guest speaker at Hogwarts for Remus' seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He had been rehired after the Dark War.

I put the envelope away into my robes, making sure it wouldn't have a chance of falling out. I looked at Ron and Harry and I knew we were all thinking the same thing: Draco Malfoy was back.

* * *

"I'll see you tomorrow, Percy. It was nice seeing you again, Charlie. Take care, Angelina!" Ron and I were saying our goodbyes in the kitchen. Harry and Ginny had already left earlier (most likely going home to have some alone time for the newly engaged pair). 

It was nine o'clock when Ron and I arrived home via the Floo network. Ron flopped down on the couch and pulled me down beside him. 

"We have an hour before he calls. We should read the letter," he said. I nodded silently. I dreaded these letters.

I pulled mine out from my pocket, where it got a little crinkled. I already knew what the envelope would say on the front: "U.A.A. – No. 3." Ron's would be "U.A.A. – No. 2." 

The letter inside read:

__

Undercover Auror Agency

Attn: No. 3

Draco Malfoy has been spotted in the northern region of the Bulgarian forests. We have reason to believe Lucius, Narcissa and possible other Death Eaters are with him. The Bulgarian Minister of Magic has informed other Ministers of the sighting, and Arthur Weasley has contacted me with a request for U.A. agents. I have personally selected you, No. 2 and No. 1 for this assignment for reasons I will not divulge in this letter. Please be ready to leave for Bulgaria by tomorrow morning. No. 4 will contact you tonight at 10:00; he will have the rest of the details.

The letter was not signed, but I knew who it was from.

I sighed and took out my wand. "_Aboleus_," I said softly, pointing to the letter and envelope. They both disintegrated immediately. Ron did the same beside me. He put his arm around me and I laid my head on his shoulder.

"Bulgaria, huh?" he whispered into my ear. "That brings back a few memories from fourth year." I laughed quietly. 

"Do you think it's really Draco Malfoy?" I asked.

He stroked my hair for a moment before answering. "I hope so. I just want to finally catch him."

We sat in silence, waiting.

* * *

"Ron, it's ten! Hurry up!" I hissed at him while I pulled my skirt on.

"I _am_ hurrying!" He said, rushing to button his shirt up. I quickly grabbed my robes and threw them on.

I smoothed my hair down and Ron was reaching for his robes when Sirius Black's head appeared in our fire.

He stared up at us, and then a small grin spread out on his face when he saw our flushed faces. "Caught you at a bad time, have I?"

"No, no," I denied. "Just go ahead and tell us what we have to do."

Sirius laughed. "Right, Hermione. Er, Ron, you've got your buttons a bit mixed up."

Ron glared. "Just talk."

Sirius smiled at Ron's agitation, but instantly looked grave again. "I assume you've read the letter?" 

I nodded. "It doesn't really say anything that Remus hasn't already told us."

"I know," he said. "Dumbledore didn't want to say too much in the letter. He thought it would be better if I told you the rest." Dumbledore never said a lot in the U.A.A. letters in case they were intercepted, but just enough to let us know of any duties we may have had to do right away. 

Ron and I sat in front of the fireplace. 

"You two, along with Harry, are to go to Bulgaria tomorrow morning. You'll have to use a Portkey. You know already that Draco was spotted in the northern forests, but what you don't know is that both Ministries have already sent over fifteen Aurors to scour the area. We're going to have to disguise ourselves this time."

Only the top wizards at the Ministry of Magic knows that the Undercover Auror Agency exists, but they don't know _who_ the agents are. That may be a good thing, because I think Arthur Weasley would have a heart attack if he knew that the three of us were involved in the organization. We specialized in Dark Arts Defense, and my research at my regular Ministry job was usually copied and transferred to the U.A.A. headquarters. As much as the wizarding population would have liked to believe otherwise, there are were Dark Wizards in the world.

"What are we going to do in Bulgaria?" asked Ron.

"I'll be meeting you three there at ten in the morning, at the Auror camp." He handed us a map from out of the fire. "Get Harry to tell Ginny he has practise or something."

Ron groaned. "We _do_ have practise tomorrow."

Sirius ignored him. "You'll be taking up your regular disguises, I assume?" We nodded. "Right, then. When we're ready, I'm going to change into my dog form and search for him by scent. It shouldn't be too hard if we've got the right trail. One of you will come with me; the other two will pretend to be hikers if anyone sees you. If by any chance we need to call in for help, we'll have the other Aurors within apparating range."

"Got it," I told Sirius. "Is there anything else?"

"I don't think so. I'll be on my way then, and leave you two to resume your previous activities." He smirked and before we could say anything, he disappeared from the fire with a pop.

Ron and I looked at each other, then grinned.

* * *

"More toast, Harry?" I offered a plate out to him.

"Thanks," he said, taking a slice. 

  
I sat with Harry and Ron at the kitchen table, waiting for ten o'clock to roll around. We were all extremely tense, and had just finished transforming our appearances. My hair was now blonde and I had blue eyes. Ron's red hair had changed to brown and Harry's hair was blonde too. I was in charge of face transformation and we all looked completely different from our true appearances. Ron was in charge of voice transformation so no one could tell who we were when we spoke.

After a long period of silence, I glanced up at the clock over the kitchen door. It read, "Time to go." I turned to Harry and Ron. "You ready?"

They nodded and we grabbed our bags. Each U.A. agent has a sort of 'U.A.A. kit' with an Invisibility cloack, a quality sneakoscope, et cetera. Only the owner or another agent knew how to correctly open it and find U.A.A. supplies. If a stranger opened it on that particular day, they'd find some spare change, some makeup (in a woman's case) and hiking gear. 

We walked into the living room and I rechecked that my Ministry work was still in its hiding place. We grabbed onto an old shoe and a minute later, I felt a pulling in my stomach and was transported to Bulgaria. (I would have preferred to apparate but apparating from one country to another was not a smart idea.) We were on the edge of a clearing filled with tents a forest.

"Is this the right place?" asked Ron.

I pulled the map out of my bag. "I think so."

"Let's go meet Sirius," said Harry, who strode over to the camp. Sirius' cover-up job was an Auror, as mine was a Ministry worker and Harry and Ron's were Quidditch players.

A few Aurors were up and having breakfast in the middle of the clearing. They looked at us apprehensively as we approached. "Excuse me," I said, walking up to them. "Do you know where Sirius Black is? We're the three people he was planning to show around."

"He was here about fifteen minutes ago," an Auror said. I looked closer and realized it was Seamus Finnigan, an old school friend. Of course, I didn't say anything; we were incognito.

"Do you know when he'll be back?"

Seamus shrugged. "Beats me. He's not on duty today."

I turned to Ron and Harry, raising my eyebrows. Harry quickly spoke up. "Do you mind if we wait here a bit for him?"

Another Auror said, "No, go right ahead." She gestured for us to sit at the table with them. "How do you know Sirius?"

"Oh… uh…" Ron had a blank look on his face.

"We're training to be Aurors", I explained. 

"Really?" Seamus asked, his eyes lighting up.

Another twenty minutes of Auror stories, tips and advice were given to us before Sirius finally showed up. 

"There you are, Sirius! We were getting worried about you," Ron said, standing up. 

"You're late," I said. 

"Sorry about that… I was just checking the area out," he replied, apologetically.

"You ready to take us on that tour?" asked Harry, pointedly.

"Right." Sirius looked to the rest of the Aurors, who were watching our exchange with amusement. "I'm just going to take them out for a little tour of the forest. We'll be back soon."

We started off into the forest. I pulled my robes a little closer to me, shivering in the cold. 

We didn't say anything for awhile until Sirius led us to a small trail that led off into a dense area of the forest. 

"Er, where exactly are we going?" asked Harry.

"You'll see," Sirius said, walking along the path.

"I thought you were going to change into a dog to get on Malfoy's scent?" said Ron. 

Sirius paused for a moment, then turned back to the three of us. "Actually, I found something here earlier that I thought I'd show you."

We gave each other confused looks. Finally, we consented and followed him further.

An hour later, as I was walking, I tripped on a branch that had grown over the path. I let out a small cry and stumbled, but caught Ron's arm to steady myself.

"You okay, Hermione?" He looked concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tripped, that's all. Thanks, Ron."

Sirius looked back at us, perplexed. "Hermione?" 

I called up ahead to him and Harry, "It's okay, I just tripped. Keep going."

They turned and Ron and I quickly jogged to catch up.

"We're almost there," said Sirius. 

A few minutes later, he led us to an overgrown thicket. "_Partius_," he said, pointing his wand to the underbrush.

After a moment, the underbrush parted and a dirt path led to an small chamber beneath the ground.

We stared in awe. "_This_ is where the Malfoys are hiding? Where are they now?" Ron was in shock. The chamber was small enough to be the size of a bedroom. 

"Most probably," Sirius said. He stepped onto the path. "No one's here anymore though. They probably got wind that they're being searched for."

"Well, couldn't they just apparate out?" asked Ron.

I shook my head. "Draco Malfoy can't apparate, remember? He dropped out in sixth year to follow his father as a Death Eater, and unless Lucius Malfoy is an expert at apparating, Draco would have never learned how. Apparating isn't something that can be taught from a parent. It's incredibly tricky. Why do you think so many people avoid it?"

"Hermione, you know everything, don't you?" Harry grinned. 

We followed Sirius down into the chamber with our wands in our hands. It reached to about two feet above my head. "I still can't believe the Malfoys would voluntarily live in a dump like this." Ron was shaking his head.

Sirius reached into his pack sack and pulled out a bottle of water. 

"Good idea," remarked Harry. He did the same. Walking that far made us a little tired and we sat down to take a little rest.

"Sirius, did you find anything else in here?" I asked. It was virtually empty except for the remains of a fire in the middle of the room and a few cooking pots that I guessed must have been stolen. 

"No, I left it as it is."

"How on earth did you manage to come across this dump?" Ron, again. He seemed very amused by the high and mighty Malfoys living in a dirt bedroom.

"I got on the their trail and managed to trace it down to here," he explained.

We sort of sat there for a moment, just thinking. "There's really not much here, is there?" Harry commented.

"There's _nothing_ besides the cooking pots," Ron replied. 

"And I don't think those are even worth taking back to the Auror camp," I said. I digested what I had just said and an absurd thought came into my head of how the Malfoys could have transfigured themselves to look like pots. A silly grin spread across my face, thinking about it.

"Look," Harry said, "we might as well just take them back and see if they've been transfigured from anything important that could give us a clue. It's worth a shot."

Ron nodded. "Let's head back to headquarters, then."

* * *

Remus was sitting at his desk, writing something on a piece of parchment paper. When we entered, he looked up. "Finished already? What did you find?"

Harry held out a cooking pot, eliciting a strange look from Remus.

"What's this?"

"It's a pot," said Ron, helpfully.

Remus raised an eyebrow. 

"We found the Malfoy's hideout," I explained. "The only thing there was this pot."

Remus sighed and stood to take it from Harry's outstretched hand. "Where's Sirius?"

"He went to go find Albus about ten minutes ago," replied Harry. I still found it strange calling Professor Dumbledore "Albus," but he insisted after we joined the U.A.A. After all, he reminded us, he wasn't a professor anymore.

At that moment, Dumbledore stepped into the room followed by Sirius.

"Sirius tells me you've found their old hideout?" Dumbledore sat in a chair by Remus' desk. He was looking older and more distinguished by the day. 

The three of us gave him our report, while Sirius and Remus stood listening. Sirius and Remus were agents also, though but more of the research type. Dumbledore founded the U.A.A. after he 'retired' as the headmaster of Hogwarts. The story he gave was that it was time another teacher should be Headmaster of Hogwarts, or in Professor McGonagall's case, Headmistress. He secretly founded the U.A.A. and asked me, Harry and Ron instantly if we wanted to be a part of it. We agreed. Sirius and Remus joined soon after, and then many more. We worked in teams of three, rarely teaming up with another group. 

When we finished talking, Dumbledore looked grave, thinking. "There's nothing else we can do for now," he told us. We were about to protest when he held up his hand to silence us. "We have no other information on the Malfoys' whereabouts. They could be anywhere in the world by now."

I think Dumbledore knew we felt a little helpless because his next comment was, "Harry? I spoke to Arthur Weasley today about you and Ginny. Is there something you wanted to tell us?" The twinkle in his eye was back.

Harry smiled, and turned to Sirius and Remus. "I asked Ginny to marry me."

"That's wonderful, Harry!" Remus came over to congratulate him and Sirius pulled him into a short hug.

"You two will be very happy together, Harry," Dumbledore said.

"Thank you, Albus," said Harry.

"I must be off now," Dumbledore announced, standing up. "I have a letter to Minerva I want to finish. Goodnight!" He gave a cheery wave and disappeared out the door.

"I'm going to stay here," Remus said. "This needs to be finished by tomorrow so no one will notice I'm gone from Hogwarts." He gestured to the papers sitting in his desk. Remus travelled back and forth from Hogwarts regularly, using a broomstick to get off the Hogwarts grounds then apparating to the U.A.A. 

"I'll stay with you," said Sirius. "I don't feel like going home just yet."

The three of us said our goodbyes and Harry apparated back to his flat. Ron turned to me. "Ready?" I nodded.

I concentrated on our house in Ottery St Catchpole, and felt a slightly dizzy pull. Two seconds later, Ron and I reappeared in our kitchen, but it was definitely not how we left it earlier that morning.

For a few seconds, neither of us did anything except for stare at our shattered home. Then Ron grabbed my hand and pulled me close. "Someone might still be here," he whispered into my ear. 

I nodded and pulled him toward the door. Stepping over the fallen chairs and broken table, we peeked into the living room. The late evening sky let in a little light so we could see the mess that occupied it. My eyes traveled to the corner where my Dark Arts research was hidden. 

"Ron?" I tugged on his robes. He looked down at me. "Ron, my research is missing." 

Wow, thanks for reviewing my first chapter! I was thrilled that you liked it. Don't worry, I have everything planned out in my head (and on a scrap piece of paper somewhere…) so this WILL be finished. Hope you enjoyed this one! 

Chapter Three is being beta-read currently, so expect it soon.


	3. Familiar Faces

Chapter Three: Are you Sirius

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to the great and wonderful J.K. Rowling. 

Author's Note: This fic is set seven years after Harry, Ron and Hermione's graduation. I urge the shippers of H/H and D/G to look past the, well, lack of it. This is my first piece of fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it! I'd appreciate any constructive criticism and/or comments.

****

Chapter Three: Familiar Faces

By Stardust

Ron and I spent the next fifteen minutes looking through the rest of the house. Everything was either turned over or scattered on the floor, not destroyed, thank goodness. Nothing else was missing besides the Ministry reports that I kept in my desk. Obviously the burglars knew what they were looking for.

"Well, that cinches it," said Ron, sighing. "Your research is all gone."

"I think we should head back to the headquarters," I said. 

"Not the Ministry?" He looked at me quizzically.

"No." I shook my head. "Whoever did this has the information on deflecting Avada Kedavra. This is more for the U.A.A."

Ron looked grim. "Let's go back, then."

For the second time that night, we went back to the headquarters and for the second time, we got a nasty surprise.

Remus Lupin lay unconscious on his office floor.

* * *

"Ron…? Hermione…? What…?" Remus tried to sit up but I gently pushed him back onto the lab bed. We were still at the U.A.A. but in the laboratory wing. It was usually meant for studying wizards who had been injured by the Dark Arts, but we made an exception for Remus. 

We called Dumbledore back earlier to tell him of the attack. He got to his feet as Remus awoke. "Remus, just lay back. Can you tell us what happened?" he asked.

"Malfoy…"

"Draco?" asked Ron.

"No, Lucius… Lucius Malfoy was Sirius…"

We looked at each other, then back down at Remus.

"What exactly do you mean, Remus?" asked Dumbledore.

"Sirius started asking a few questions about the U.A.A. after you all left. He was looking at my books and papers, then he started to change. His looks… he became Lucius Malfoy and that's when he attacked me. I think he must have it me with a few curses, my body hurts like hell." He _did_ look absolutely terrible. 

"Sirius transformed into Lucius?" Dumbledore looked thoughtful.

"Polyjuice potion!" Ron exclaimed, loudly. Remus winced. Ron looked at him ruefully. "Sorry."

"Ron, Polyjuice Potion takes a really long time to make," I told him.

"That's where you're wrong, Hermione," said Dumbledore. "The potion itself is a few minutes. The ingredients to be prepared can take a long time if you don't already have them." He looked thoughtful. 

"It would make sense though," I said, thinking over the events of the past day. "Sirius was twenty minutes late and he kept on taking drinks out of his water bottle."

"Sirius must have found the hideout but Lucius attacked him," said Ron.

"Why would Lucius bother to show us his hideout, then?" I asked.

"Probably to throw you off the trail," Remus mused. "It's obvious they can't hide there anymore, so might as well try to get something out of it while he can."

"So that means…" Ron said, slowly. "The real Sirius is out there somewhere chained up by the Malfoys?"

__

Or worse, I thought to myself. The others did too, from the looks on their faces. _No, don't think like that! Sirius is fine!_

Dumbledore exhaled and stroked his beard. "If Lucius was here, then it must have been someone else at your house," he said to me and Ron.

"Which means that he must be working together with other Death Eaters…" 

"What can we do now? We don't have information about anything!" Ron exclaimed. "We have no idea of their whereabouts, whether Sirius is alright or not… and Harry still doesn't know!"

"I will deal with Harry now and take care of Remus. I also have a plan for Sirius' situation. You two go home and get some rest. You deserve it," Dumbledore said. I was about to protest but he interrupted me. "Not a word, Hermione. Go home and get some sleep. Ron? I'm trusting you to keep her from doing anymore research for the night."

"I'll try my best, sir."

I glanced to Remus who seemed to be sitting deep in thought. His best friend was missing, possibly dead. I knew the feeling. In fact, I'd experienced it countless times throughout my Hogwarts years. I walked over to his bed, gave his hand a squeeze and smiled at him. He returned it, faintly. "Get some rest, okay?" He nodded.

Twenty minutes later, Ron and I lay in bed. Not quite sleeping, but not talking either. He hand was stroking my hair, as he always did when we're enjoying the silence together. 

"Hermione?" he mumbled. 

"Hmm?"

"Do you think he's alright?" I knew who Ron meant.

"I hope so."

"Harry will be upset."

"I know."

"Oh no …"

"What?"

"I forgot to call Oliver about Quidditch practise this morning."

"I'm sure you'll be getting a Howler tomorrow dear."

"I think I will."

"Good night, Ron."

"Sweet dreams."

* * *

__

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Taptaptap.

Taptap. Taptap.

"What the…?" Ron lifted his head and I groggily peered over his body to where the noise was coming from.

Three owls sat on our bedroom terrace, tapping at the glass door.

Ron let out a groan. 

"You get it," I grumbled into his shoulder. "You're closer." 

Without saying a word, he slid off the bed and staggered to the door to open it. The three owls flew in instantly and dropped off the letters on our bed.

He came back under the covers and we both sat up to see who they were from.

"No Howlers," he said, yawning.

I picked up one addressed to "Mrs. Hermione Weasley, from Headmistress Minerva McGonagall" and opened it.

__

Dear Mrs. Weasley,

I received an owl late last night from Albus Dumbledore, stating that Professor Lupin will be unable to teach for the next few days and obviously on the weekend surrounding the full moon. Professor Longbottom will be taking over his class for the remaining time, but you are still welcome to come and speak to his seventh year class for the guest lecture. Why don't you invite Mr. Weasley and Mr. Potter along? We haven't seen them for quite some time now. See you tomorrow morning.

Sincerely yours,

M. McGonagall

"Want to come to Hogwarts with me tomorrow?" I asked Ron.

"Hmm? For that lecture? Sure, as long as I don't have to sit through it." He was half serious. I rolled my eyes. 

"Is that from Oliver?"

"Yeah, at least he didn't send a Howler. He's so crazy," he said, handing the letter over to me.

__

RONALD WEASLEY! 

WHERE WERE YOU YESTERDAY?? I CALLED YOUR FIRE AT NOON BUT NO ONE WAS HOME. YOU MISSED PRACTISE AND WE WERE LEFT WITHOUT A KEEPER OR A SEEKER! 

You can be sure that Harry is getting a similar message soon after yours. Next time, MAKE SURE TO INFORM ME IF YOU WILL BE MISSING PRACTISE.

Signed,

Your VERY angry coach,

Oliver Wood

I laughed. This was a classic Oliver stint. I could just imagine him panicking and furiously complaining to the rest of the team members.

The last was from Albus, which we read together.

__

Ron and Hermione,

In light of the events that happened yesterday and what we discussed, I have decided to do a little work of my own. I won't mention anything in this letter, but please be assured that we are working to the best of our abilities to solve the problem, and I think we will be successful. Harry has been informed.

I think it will be best if you go on normally for now. I will contact you again when we find something.

Have a nice day!

Albus Dumbledore 

"Normally?" Ron said angrily. "Sirius is missing!"

"Albus thinks he can find him though. Look at what he says, 'I think we will be successful,'" I pointed out. "That's his way of saying he knows what he's doing."

"I guess…" Ron sighed. "I wonder what Harry's feeling right now?"

"Worried. Upset. Angry."

"Maybe we should invite him out for the day. Try to get his mind off things?"

"That's a good idea. Ginny can come too. I have to go to Diagon Alley anyway and pick up some stuff from Gringotts. How about it? We can treat them to lunch?"

He kissed the top of my head. "I'll owl Harry right away."

* * *

"Isn't this great? It's so beautiful out today." Ginny was beaming at the three of us, unknowing about the events of the previous night. Harry, on the other hand, had bags under his eyes and looked as if he was about to keel over any second. By some miracle of love, Ginny either didn't see anything wrong, or decided to dismiss his actions as male engagement jitters.

The four of us sat at a busy little café that had very recently opened in Diagon Alley. On our table was an assortment of cheeses and breads that I had ordered.

"This is a great place," Ron remarked. "They've got great wizard bakers."

"Merci, Monsieur Weasley." A female voice with a slight French accent spoke up from behind us.

Ron's mouth dropped and Harry's eyes widened a bit from their deadened look. I turned in my chair. "Fleur?"

A familiar blonde-haired, blue-eyed, part-Veela woman smiled down at me. "'Ermione, if I remember correctly? And of course, 'Arry." She frowned at Ginny. "Were you at 'Ogwarts?"

"Fleur!" Ron finally spoke. "Nice to see you again after all this time. What have you been up to lately?"

"Well, I 'ave opened my own café as you can see." She gestured at the lovely open-air space around her, filled with small white tables and decorated with an assortment of flowers.

"Your English is so much better," Ron remarked. "We haven't seen you since your serving stint at the Three Broomsticks. You still look the same though…" He trailed off.

I was glaring at him. _Watch it._

He gave me a pitiful look. _I can't help it, she's part Veela!_

Luckily, none of the others witnessed our exchange. "I'm a year younger than these three," Ginny was saying to Fleur, warily. "But you can probably tell I'm Ron's younger sister."

"Anozzer Weasley? How many are there?" Fleur laughed annoyingly. "Good looks must run in the family." She pulled up a chair from another table and sat between Ron and Harry, who now looked wide awake. She began to make small talk with them.

Ginny and I glanced at each other before turning back to Fleur.

"Ron and I are married now."

"Harry and I are engaged."

Ron and Harry were oblivious to the silent catfight going on around them.

Fleur raised an eyebrow at us. We nodded. "Well, I shouldn't sit and chat much longer. Must take care of the ze other customers. I hope I will see you all again sometime?"

"Definitely," replied Ron.

"We'll visit lots," Harry said.

"See you girls later!" She gave a little wave to me and Ginny, then turned, tossing her silvery blonde hair and attracting the attention of her other male patrons.

Ron and Harry watched as she walked out of sight, then froze as she disappeared back into the building. Slowly, they turned back to us with sheepish looks on their faces. Ginny and I gave each other a knowing look. _Men_.

Ten minutes later, Ron and I parted ways with Ginny and Harry and headed towards Gringotts.

"What do you have to get from here?" Ron asked me as we walked up the white stone steps. 

"I thought I'd take a few things from the Dark Arts Defense Department vault to show the students tomorrow. Maybe borrow a thing or two from the U.A.A. vault too."

"I'm going to visit Bill's office alright? Come get me there when you're done." He walked off in the vague direction of where Bill's office was located.

"Can I help you ma'am?" A long-nosed goblin peered down at me from over the high counter.

"Yes, I'd like to be taken to vaults two twenty nine and one thousand seventy-three please."

"Got your keys?" I held them up.

"Follow me, then." He led me to a door on the side and opened it, gesturing for me to go first. He whistled and a cart came rolling up. We both climbed in and departed for the underground caves of Gringotts.

After twisting and turning underground for five minutes, we stopped by a small door labelled "229." This was the Ministry vault. The room was piled high with old relics collected from various Death Eaters. A good portion formerly belonged to Lucius Malfoy. I grabbed a some medallions and a few odd trinkets I thought the class might be interested.

I did the same in the next vault, the U.A.A. vault. This time, the items inside were more dangerous. I figured most of the objects would be a little disturbing for the seventh-years so I just grabbed a black spellbook, an enchanted dagger and then chose one vial from four filled with red liquid – nothing dangerous.

The goblin took me back to the bank's main floor and I set off to find Ron.

I knocked on the door that said "Bill Weasley – Curse Breaker" where loud laughter was being emitted. A moment later, Bill opened the door.

"Hey, Hermione! Ron's right here." I stepped inside and saw Ron sitting in chair in front of Bill's desk.

"Hermione, have you heard? Some joker thinks they saw Draco Malfoy in Bulgaria." Ron looked at me pointedly and pushed _The Wizard Enquirer_ paper that was sitting on Bill's desk over to me. I picked it up and skimmed the article.

Luckily, it contained no more information that what the U.A.A. already knew, and even then, it was a little inaccurate. According to the article, the man who saw the Draco couldn't get an interview with the _Daily Prophet_, so he called _Wizard Enquirer_ instead. The _Wizard Enquirer_ was not exactly known for its accuracy. In fact, if I remembered correctly, Rita Skeeter was one of the leading editors.

"The things some people believe," said Bill, shaking his head. "They haven't shown their faces for years, why would they do so now?"

I forced a laugh. "It's probably just someone looking for a good way to get famous quick."

We said our goodbyes to Bill and apparated home. I sighed as I looked at the mess that we had left earlier. 

"We should start cleaning this up now," said Ron. I nodded. We began to put our home back into order.

* * *

__

The next morning…

"How are you doing, Harry?" I asked him.

"Okay. I just can't stop thinking about it." The three of us were sitting on the carriage which took us from the platform to Hogwarts. Ron and I were worried about Harry, knowing how his godfather being kidnapped would have affected him.

We lapsed into an awkward silence.

"I think most of the old professors are still there," I said to Ron. The bag containing my show and tell items was in my lap. The train ride had been long, bringing back a few old memories, particularly of cursing Malfoy. "And well, Neville's the Herbology teacher now."

"And isn't Lavender the new Divination teacher?" Harry asked.

"I think so. Well, we'll at least see Neville as Remus' replacement for the week," Ron said.

We were silent for the rest of the ride, until Hogwarts came into our view. 

That's it for Chapter Three. :-) Hope you enjoyed this one!

Next Up in Chapter Four: Some nostalgia at Hogwarts and Battle of the Sexes Quidditch!


	4. Memories and Games

Chapter Four: Memories of Hogwarts

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to the great and wonderful J.K. Rowling. 

Author's Note: This fic is set seven years after Harry, Ron and Hermione's graduation. I urge the shippers of H/H and D/G to look past the, well, lack of it. This is my first piece of fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it! I'd appreciate any constructive criticism and/or comments.

****

Chapter Four: Memories and Games

By Stardust

We came to a halt in front of the large oak doors where Professor McGonagall stood waiting. 

She hadn't changed much, but looked a bit older. Her black hair, streaked with grey now, was still pulled back into a tight bun. 

"Hello, Professor!" we said, happily. I was quite excited about seeing Hogwarts again.

"It's wonderful to see you three again." Her crisp voice hadn't changed a big, but she was smiling. We were led into the Great Hall through a series of familiar hallways before finally reaching the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmistress' office. "Tabby cat," she said, and it jumped aside. We ascended a long staircase before finally reaching her office.

"Well, Mrs. Weasley, your appointment is at ten o'clock this morning so you have about half an hour to pass. You three are welcome anywhere in the school. Why don't you visit a few old teachers? I'm sure they'd be thrilled to introduce the three who helped defeat Voldemort as their former students." 

"We'd love to," said Harry. "Er, do you think we can go visit the Gryffindor common room? It'd be great to see it again."

She smiled. "Of course. The password is Little Dipper. Have fun today, you're not students anymore!"

We left and headed towards our old common room. The Fat Lady was still there and peered down at us as we approached. "Is that Harry Potter I see? And Hermione and Ron! How nice to see you three again!"

"We've come for a visit to the old common room," Ron said to her. 

"Well, I'd love to let you in, but I'll still need the password."

"Little Dipper," I said, and she swung open.

"Same as always," Harry said. He was right. It hadn't changed a bit. The big comfy chairs were still there, a fire was roaring in the fireplace. It was empty though; all the students were in class. We sat there until it was time for me to go to Remus' class, just thinking about the old days and everything that had happened.

We rounded the corner and knocked on a familiar door. Neville opened it. "Hermione! Ron! Harry! Just in time." Neville had definitely changed since we graduated. He wasn't as shy or timid. We stepped into the classroom to the stares of seventeen-year-old students. There were quite a few and from the badges on their robes, I could tell they came from all the houses. Apparently all the seventh years taking D.A.D.A. were there.

"Class, you may recognize these three. Hermione Weasley is here to speak to you about working for the Dark Arts Defense Department at the Ministry, and she's apparently brought a few friends along. You all know who Harry Potter is, I assume?" The seventh years started whispering excitedly. "And this is Ron Weasley, completing the team. Mrs. Weasley was the top student in our class so you may want to listen to her." 

"Thank you, Professor," I said. He went to sit behind his desk and watch my presentation. I set my bag, which they eyed suspiciously, on the table at the front of the classroom. Harry and Ron leaned against the far wall by the door.

"Hello, everyone! I'm here to tell you a bit about the Dark Arts and give you a few tips on defending yourself that they may not teach you here." I smiled at Neville. "I'm sure Ron and Harry will be glad to answer any questions after I'm finished."

"First, maybe I should tell you about myself. I'm an assistant researcher at the Ministry, and my department is Research of Dark Arts Defense. I've been working there pretty much ever since I graduated from Hogwarts, after the Dark War ended." I looked out into the sea of uninterested faces. "Is anyone here planning to become an Auror?" Two or three hands were raised in the air.

"Being an Auror is tough work." I pointed to a tall blonde-haired Ravenclaw girl. "Why do you want to become an Auror, if you don't mind my asking?" 

"I just want the wizarding world to be free of Dark Arts. I figure that if we all pitch in, we can do it."

I nodded. "That's a good answer. On average, each Ministry Auror does quite a lot for the Dark Arts Defense department. They get rid of all sorts of items and store them away to be researched. My department works on how we can defend ourselves better in case there is another Dark War. Not necessarily next year or in one hundred years, but in case of a situation, we'll be ready." After I talked for about fifteen minutes, I decided it was time to show them a few items.

I opened the bag and pulled out the medallions I had taken from Gringotts. "Medallions can be either used for defense or offence." I held up a silver disc. "This one, for example, is a defensive medallion. If someone has it on them, certain mild dark curses for inflicting bodily pain can be absorbed into the medallion so they don't suffer as much. With this one," I held a gold one up that glittered dangerously, "the wearer can inflict the _Crucio_ spell twice as painfully." The class winced. "Only ten are known to exist, made by Voldemort himself. The department has confiscated seven." The class began to whisper. 

I explained a few odd trinkets I had found then decided it was time for the good stuff. I pulled out the ancient dagger. Even Ron and Harry's eyes grew wide. It was fairly dangerous looking, and I had a feeling the class was afraid I might go a bit crazy.

"This dagger is the former dagger of Salazar Slytherin." The Slytherins perked up at this and the Gryffindors narrowed their eyes. "He made the entire thing himself, carving the hilt and forging the blade out of pure silver. It's enchanted so if a victim is so much as pricked with this, they'll die." The class became a bit uneasy so I put it back into its small scabbard.

I took out the spell book. It was black, heavy and old. I drew my wand down the middle of the cover saying, "_Pateo,_" then across the middle, "_Patefacio_." It opened by itself to the title page, then the table of contents. "If anyone opened this book without the correct method, they'd instantly be sucked inside and become a part of it." I debated whether to show them the pictures of those who had unfortunately just opened it without saying anything. _Might as well_, I thought. _I saw worse when I was seventeen_.

"For example, the last person to open this book incorrectly is…" I turned to the last page and read out the name. "Joseph Tibbins." I held it up to the class and there was a picture that looked like a quill sketch of a man banging on the page from within the book. I gauged their reactions. The Gryffindors looked spooked, the Hufflepuffs were disturbed, the Ravenclaws seemed alarmed and the Slytherins looked interested. Might as well show them one more.

"This is the worst one for me," and I held up a picture of a young girl with tears streaming down her face. She touched the page from the other side as if trying to see if we were real. 

Finally, I pulled out the vial. 

"Slytherin's blood," I said. Most of the class recoiled. "It's been enchanted to be preserved forever. Voldemort himself searched for it, but it was hidden in Gringotts, and of course, Gringotts is impenetrable. The drinker's power will be magnified enormously. I'd have to protect this with my life if it came down to it. Absolutely no one can get their hands on this, or we'd have another Voldemort on our hands."

I finished my lecture telling them to think carefully about whether they want to continue working so closely with the Dark Arts, and then declared it "question time." Almost everyone's hand shot up. I beckoned Harry and Ron to stand beside me.

I gestured to a Hufflepuff boy. "Yes?"

"It's really well known that you three were key figures in the Dark War. Why didn't you decide to continue as Aurors instead of Quidditch players and Ministry workers?" Half of the hands in the air went down.

Every member of the U.A.A. was supposed to be prepared for a question like that. I glanced at Harry. "Care to explain?"

He straightened up. "The three of us encountered Dark Arts since our first year here. We had to deal with it throughout school until the Dark War ended in seventh year. When we graduated, we got a little tired I guess." He looked at me and Ron and we nodded. "We decided we'd quit the battle and go on to try and lead normal lives, something we didn't really have in school." 

I pointed to a Gryffindor girl who had been furiously writing notes the entire time. She reminded me a little bit of myself. "Mr. Potter, can you describe what it was like being face to face with Voldemort?" More hands went down.

I glanced worriedly at Harry. Neville spoke up. "Elaine, I'm not sure that's an appropriate question." 

"No, it's fine," said Harry. "I don't mind."

He went on the recount the first and last times he met Voldemort. "He wasn't even a person, he was just… an entity. When he came back to life after the Triwizard tournament, he was almost just like an entity: cold, pale and devoid of goodness." Ron and I chipped in our two cents about the time we first met him in our sixth year as well.

I pointed to a pretty Ravenclaw girl. "Mr. Weasley? What was it like to be the friend of someone so famous? Did you ever feel overshadowed?"

Ron laughed. "All the time! Of course, I knew he didn't really want all the fame, but my family was very poor back then and I took it out on a lot of people. We've had our spats, but I think I was the happiest when I fell in love with Hermione." I blushed, while most of the girls let out a collective sigh. "I finally realized that I wasn't just Harry Potter's shadow when I helped out. We were all equal and contributed a fair share of our efforts to stop Voldemort."

We concluded the lecture by answering questions from the rest of the students, and Neville thanked us for coming. 

I packed up my items, and we walked out of the classroom. As I shut the door, I could hear a few enthusiastic comments about wanting to fight the Dark Arts, and I smiled inwardly.

The rest of the visit passed by quickly. We visited our old professors after my lecture and a most of the reactions were very happy.

We went to see Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher. His class of first years ogled us as we entered. "Potter, Granger and Weasley!!" he exclaimed in surprise as we entered. 

"Actually, it's Weasley for me too," I said to him.

He beamed. "You're married? Why that's wonderful! Class, this is Hermione Granger, er, Weasley, and she was the smartest witch in her year." He turned to me. "I was just teaching them _Wingardium Leviosa_. Care to demonstrate?" 

I laughed. Taking out my wand, I pointed it at the feather on a first year's desk from where I stood at the door. "_Wingardium Leviosa_!" It lifted high into the air. I moved my wand and it fluttered around a little.

"Still got the natural touch I see. Good, good!" We left an excited Professor Flitwick and decided to head to Madame Pomfrey.

"Oh, you three gave me so much trouble back then!" she exclaimed. "I always had at least one of you coming in here every year for some sort of injury."

We spotted Roger Davies, former Ravenclaw captain and new Flying Instructor. I gave him a wave even though I didn't know him that well, but apparently he remembered me. Harry and Ron stayed behind to have some fun with the first year class.

I went to visit Madame Pince in the library instead. "Oh, Hermione, how could I forget you? All of my books were always returned in precious condition."

Before looking for Ron and Harry, I went up to the Divination classroom to visit Lavender.

"Oh, it's so wonderful to see you again, Hermione," she said after introducing me to her fourth-year class. "Hermione here dropped out of Divination in third year, but we can't all love it, I guess!"

I walked around the class looking over the students' shoulders to see what they were writing. When Lavender was occupied with a giggly pair of girls who sat closest to her, I bent down to whisper to a pair of doubtful boys, "Write down that you're going to fall into the lake and drown during a flying lesson gone haywire. She'll love that."

In one of the hallways I spotted Professor Snape, still the Potions Master. Feeling a little risky, I called out "Hello Professor!"

He turned and frowned when he saw me. "Granger? What are you doing here?"

"Actually, it's Weasley now. But I came to give a lecture on Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ron and Harry are here with me." I smiled at him.

"Well, hope you're having a nice time revisiting your old school." With that, he walked off into the direction of the Potions classroom, probably to hide until we left.

I found Ron and Harry talking with Nearly Headless Nick in the hall, which gave me an idea. After Nick floated off with a cheery wave, we headed in the opposite direction.

Our last stop was Hagrid's hut.

We walked inside, finding all the furniture as it was in sixth year.

Harry sighed, sitting at the table. "I miss him. He was the first wizard I ever met. I have him to thank for rescuing me from the Dursleys."

Ron and I bowed our heads. Harry and Hagrid's connection had been strong, and Harry had been so devastated when he was killed in the Battle of Giants. 

"I'm glad they didn't let the new gameskeeper live here," Ron commented. 

"This was Hagrid's hut all the way," I said.

After our visit, we said good bye to Professor McGonagall and headed back to Ottery St. Catchpole. 

It was late afternoon and Ron instantly became excited. "Quidditch tonight!" he cried. Harry perked up and gave him a high-five. 

"What on earth are you talking about?" I asked.

Ron and Harry stared at me. "Don't tell me you've forgotten," Ron warned.

"Forgotten what?"

"The Quidditch Battle of the Sexes is tonight at six!" Harry cried.

I'd forgotten about that. The fairly new Battle of the Sexes game of fourteen random players, seven men and seven women, who were picked from different teams across the UK and put into two separate teams to compete. The players were notified ahead of time but otherwise, no one else knew. It was held at a permanent Quidditch pitch on the outskirts of London. Of course, charms were heavily enforced there so no Muggle would happen to stumble across it.

"I hope someone we know got picked," said Harry.

"I hope someone from our team got picked." That was Ron.

"I hope the women win."

* * *

"Welcome to the sixth annual Battle of the Sexes Quidditch Game! I'm one of your commentators, Lee Jordan, and alongside me is Hannah Abbott!"

"Are you all ready to watch the game?" Hannah shouted. The crown went crazy. 

I sat beside Harry and Ginny, waiting for Ron to come back with refreshments. I already spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd. Fred and Angelina sat in a few rows in front of us. Percy and Penelope decided to take the kids with them and sat on the other side of the pitch. I even saw Cho Chang somewhere but she had disappeared in the huge crowd. 

"I hope Ron gets back soon, or else he'll miss the players," I said to Harry. The naming of the players was part of the intense show.

"First up, we have the sizzling women's team calling themselves the Flying Femmes," Lee announced. "The chasers are…" Here, the crowd tensed. "Isabelle Kingsley of the Harpies, Katie Weasley of the Falcons and my dear girlfriend, Alicia Spinnet of the Kestrels!" They flew out to loud cheers and hollers. Alicia waved wildly to Lee while Katie sailed to George and Alden to give them a kiss on the cheek each.

As I cheered, I saw an animated and still very pregnant Angelina waving to her best friends, and Fred trying to calm her.

"The two beaters," Lee continued, "are Savannah Spiers of the Vultures and Alison Bates of the Tornados! The Keeper, Michelle King of the Eagles! And finally, the Seeker for the Flying Femmes is… Cho Chang of the Arrows!" Cho flew out and did a few fancy flips on her broom. We cheered as she landed with the rest of her team.

"And now," Hannah began, "for the opposing team… the Boiling Bachelors! Our three chasers: Cameron Abrams of the Catapults, Elliot Fox of the Dragons and Michael Marks of the Bats!… The beaters are… Joel Hayes of the Comets and Blake Warrington of the Wasps!" I remembered Warrington as a former Slytherin player at Hogwarts. Still, I cheered for him.

"The Keeper of the Bachelors, though he's no bachelor, Ron Weasley of the Cannons!" So that's where Ron was! I cheered especially hard for him and he blew me a little kiss. I caught it and blew one back. The crowd cheered for us too, but by then they'd have cheered even if someone fell off their broom.

"And the final player, the Seeker… Terence Higgs of the Magpies!" Higgs was also a former Slytherin player.

Both teams were lined up on either side of the pitch and waiting.

"Here comes the referee now with the crate," Lee said. "And he's releasing the Snitch. Chang and Higgs are trying to keep an eye on it but it's gone!

The referee, on his broom, flew higher. "He's raising his arm," said Hannah. "The players are mounting their broomsticks. The Keepers take their positions… There goes the Quaffle and Bludgers and the players are off to start!"

"Spinnet takes the Quaffle immediately. Neat pass to Katie Weasley, then Jackson, back to Weasley. Fox takes possession and heads the other way! He passes it to Marks! Abrams! Marks! Fox! And Abrams scores! 10-0 for the Bachelors!" The male portion of the audience cheered while the women groaned.

For the next twenty minutes or so the Quaffle was passed back and forth between the two teams. Then suddenly, Terence dived at the ground.

"Spinnet scores, but Higgs dives, Bachelors leading 210-170. Chang follows and… she sees through his bluff, pulling out right on time! Meanwhile, Marks puts another goal past Femmes Keeper King, bring the score to 220-170."

In front, Angelina was shaking her fist in the vague direction of the Bachelors when she suddenly seized up and grabbed her stomach. I tapped on Harry's shoulder and pointed to Angelina. "Marks scores again! 240-180. Wait a minute, the medics are leaving the pitch. And they're being led by someone… it's Fred Weasley!" Some of the crowd searched to see what was going on while others kept their eyes on the game. 

"They're going up into the stands…" Lee was interrupted by a "he scores!" from Hannah. "They're heading towards… oh my goodness. Hey everyone, Angelina Weasley of the Falcons is going into labour!" In the air, Alicia and Katie dropped the Quaffle.

The medics had laid Angelina down on a flat area of the stands and she was accompanied by a very agitated Fred. In the distance, I saw George, Percy and Penelope making their way over. Ginny leaned over to me and Harry, "Let's go see them!" We weaved our way down while Abrams scored again.

"Why didn't you tell me?" A near hysterical Fred was bombarding Angelina with questions. 

"I thought it was just false labour! – Ah! – No, let me stay here, I don't want to be taken anywhere!"

"Ma'am, that might not be a good idea. You should really go to a hospital for-"

"No! Let me stay! I don't want to risk anything… Oww!" She clutched her abdomen in pain.

We continued to watch the game ("260-180!") while surrounding Angelina. Fred was holding her hand – well, actually, Angelina had _his_ hand a fierce grip. For another hour, a very frustrated Angelina was shouting at the medics ("Don't tell me how to breathe, you prat! I _know_ how!") and the Bachelors were pulling ahead by a large margin. 

"The Femmes are down 340-200 and… Chang is going for the Snitch!" Every head but Angelina's turned to watch Cho diving. "Higgs looks hesitant. Is Chang pulling a bluff on him now, too? He goes down anyway… They're getting closer to ground… Chang grabs hold of the Snitch! The Femmes win by a narrow save from their Seeker!" Hannah, glad that the women had won, happily called out the score as "an amazing 350 to 340!"

The crowd was in such a frenzy that we barely heard the wail of the baby. Lee must have been watching for his friends because he yelled out, "We've got a new arrival, folks! Spinnet and Weasley have dropped out of the victory lap to see their friend and the other Weasley is also heading that way!" Sure enough, Ron was speeding over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, our Minister of Magic has a new grandchild!"

* * *

"Great game, Cho," Ron yelled out to the Femmes' Seeker who was heading our way.

The game was over. Ron, Harry, Ginny and I were milling around, talking with people we saw and Harry seemed a bit more relaxed. Cho walked up to us and after making some small talk with the four of us, she asked if she could speak with me privately.

She pulled me away and immediately announced to me in a low voice, "Sirius Black is alive."

I gaped at her. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh don't be daft, Hermione," she said. "Albus asked me to tell you because he knew you would be here."

I still stared.

She sighed. "I'm a U.A. agent too. No. 27." She pulled out an identification parchment card and gave it to me. It looked like any wizard's regular card, but I pointed my wand at it, muttering "_Comperio_," and it turned into a U.A.A. card. "I couldn't say anything to Ginny so I figured I'd tell you and you'd relay the message to Ron and Harry.

I snapped out of my confusion. "Of course; I'll tell them."

"Alright then. There's a meeting tonight at eight thirty. I think we're going to have work together to rescue Black."

"Thanks, Cho."

"No problem. See you at eight thirty."

She walked off and I shook my head. Cho Chang, a U.A. agent. Who would've guessed?

Well, that's it for the fourth chapter! Since my beta reader is currently on vacation in Mexico (grrr, why can't it be me?) the fifth chapter may take a little while to upload… Not to worry though, she'll be back soon. 


	5. An Unexpected Surprise

Chapter Five:

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to the great and wonderful J.K. Rowling. 

Author's Note: This fic is set seven years after Harry, Ron and Hermione's graduation. I urge the shippers of H/H and D/G to look past the, well, lack of it. This is my first piece of fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it! I'd appreciate any constructive criticism and/or comments.

****

Chapter Five: An Unexpected Surprise

By Stardust

The ornate Persian rugs muffled our footsteps through the empty corridors of the U.A.A. The walnut panels were filled with paintings in which most of the inhabitants gave us a little wave as we walked by. Ron, Harry and I were heading to Dumbledore's briefing room located at the far end of the building. Harry seemed incredibly tense so Ron and I managed to keep quiet so as not to irritate him.

Upon entering, we saw a few more people than usual. Dumbledore and two other teams sat at the round oak table. Ron sometimes joked that it often reminded him of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, but I always brushed it away. That night though, the table was full and I began to see some truth to the jest.

"Come in," said Dumbledore. "You're the last to arrive." I took a seat by Cho.

"Have you really found Sirius?" Harry asked.

"I will tell you. Just have a seat." He waited for us to settle down.

"Yes, I have found Sirius Black. I used a _Memoria _spell, which is for specially determining the location of a person."

"How does that work?" asked someone from another team curiously. I vaguely recalled reading about it in one of the books that the U.A.A. confiscated.

"Only a very powerful wizard could manage it," I said, glancing at Dumbledore.

"Correct," he replied. "It locates the person in question by memories and requires a strong connection. You can go into their minds and see through their eyes. It would be impossible to use the _Memoria_ spell on those such as Lucius Malfoy since none of us have had strong ties with him. Besides, most Dark Wizards are blocked. Voldemort found a way when he first came to power."

"But surely," began Harry, "Your connection to Sirius wasn't _that_ strong?" 

"No," said Dumbledore. "But Remus Lupin's is. He and Sirius have shared similar memories since they were eleven years old."

Harry was silent. I was sure he was thinking about his own connection with Sirius. It was true that Remus and Sirius had known each other for almost their entire life, but Sirius was also Harry's godfather, someone who Harry looked to for support. I couldn't help but suspect that Harry felt a little jealous.

"So… where exactly is Sirius?" asked Cho.

"He's been hidden under our noses the entire time," said Dumbledore. "From what Remus could see from Sirius' point of view, we can only conclude that he is in the Malfoy Manor."

"At the Malfoys'? But wouldn't someone have noticed?"

"Their manor has been abandoned since they ran away," Ron mused. "It makes sense. Everything's been confiscated there anyway, no one has a reason to go back. It's the perfect spot to hide a prisoner."

"Especially in the dungeons where Sirius is located."

"Did Remus see anything else?" I asked. 

"No, the spell is very limiting. We saw the cells and the hall that his cell looked out upon. We only knew it was the Malfoy Manor because we were both involved in emptying it. We recognized the location immediately."

"This is giving me a bad feeling…" said Ron. "We're not going there, are we?"

"Exactly right, Ron." He outlined a short plan for us to follow. Our main goals – to get Sirius and draw as little attention as possible. "No matter what, I do not want any of you being seen by any of the Malfoys or a Death Eater. We cannot compromise any more information for them."

"So what happens now?" asked Harry. He seemed anxious to get going. 

"Now, Harry, we rescue Sirius."

* * *

"Wow," said Ron. Though empty and abandoned, the Malfoy Manor still loomed impressively before us. It gave us a feeling of a miniature castle… an evil miniature castle. We stood at the broken gate – Ron, Harry and I, along with the two other teams – and stared up at the towering spires. The Manor was huge. The estate was even bigger. If it weren't so dark, ruined, spooky and covered in overgrown weeds, I wouldn't have minded living there. 

"Dumbledore said all the charms are gone so we should be able to get in easily," said Cho. "It's only a matter of actually _finding_ the dungeons."

"Well, that's easy," I said. "They should be underground, right?" 

"Right, but who knows how far down this thing goes?"

We subtlely and silently headed towards the manor in three separate groups, in case Lucius or any of his henchmen were lurking. The three of us crept along some hedges, which were in desperate need of trimming. We reached the path where the hedges stopped, and crouched low.

"Cho, Ella and Tony are in position," Ron whispered in my ear. I glanced over at the other team, Patrick, Marcy and Owen, to make sure they were ready. 

Patrick gave the signal – gesturing his open palm toward the castle - and we immediately made our way in the shadows to the front door. They creaked as Marcy pushed them open. I held up my wand to the stifling darkness and murmured, "_Lumos_."

"I can't believe it," whispered Tony in awe. "They actually _lived_ here?" Even though it was dusty and empty inside, it sure was a lot better than a dirt bedroom.

The foyer itself was massive. A grand staircase led up to two wings of the manor. I remembered the paintings and dark materials that the U.A.A. confiscated, pictured them in the Manor, and I suddenly had an inkling of why Draco Malfoy turned out the way he did.

Ella reached into her cloak and pulled out a map of the Manor that Dumbledore had given us before we left. "To get to the dungeons we have to head that way." She pointed and our eyes followed her finger's path.

"Ella, do you realize that's a wall?" asked Ron. "We can't walk through walls."

"That's what it says on the map," she retorted. "See for yourself." She held the map out for us.

I held my lit wand over the parchment map. Sure enough, the entrance to the dungeons was supposed to be directly through the wall. "I think Albus forgot to tell us something."

"He never _forgets_," said Ron. "He wants us to figure it out for ourselves." 

I walked to the wall, and the others followed. "It must be sealed with a spell or some kind of mechanism," I murmured, running my hand over the smooth surface.

"I have an idea," said Harry, who had been unusually silent through the trip. "Stand back." I assumed he was about to use some kind of revealing spell but instead, he pointed at the middle of the wall and yelled, "_Aboleo_!"

With a bang, the wall burst apart and crumbled to pieces, leaving a large tunnel for us to go into. When the dust cleared, Harry, without saying a word, walked into the dark tunnel. 

"Right, Harry," muttered Owen. "Real subtle."

The nine of us walked in single file with Harry leading the way. Our lit wands created eerie shadows on the walls. As we walked, I could feel the mild incline of the ground. We were going underground – far underground. "How long is this supposed to be?" complained Ron after ten minutes.

"Almost there," said Cho, who had possession of the map. After a few more minutes, we stopped walking.

"It stops here," Harry said loudly for the other teams to hear. Ron and I were right behind him, and we could see the deep chasm that went down a metre in front of Harry's feet. 

"What's going on?" asked Owen from the back of the line.

"There's a chasm," I explained. I peered into the inky blackness. "I think we have to go down it. There's a wall blocking our way if we want to go across."

"Go down? Does this remind you of our first year by any chance, Hermione?" Ron grumbled. 

Harry had already begun lowering himself. "What are you doing?" Marcy shrieked. "What if it falls hundreds of feet below us?"

"Relax, there're handholds here." Harry's head bobbed slowly into the dark pit.

"Might as well follow," said Ron with a sigh. He, too, lowered himself, and I followed. Cho was next and soon we were all descending the long ladder. 

It seemed like forever until we reached the bottom. Lucius Malfoy must have either been a very patient man or had a few charms to get to the dungeons quickly. I had a feeling it was the latter.

"I hope this is it," Marcy muttered under her breath.

One by one, we jumped off the last rung of the ladder onto the muddy and grimy floor. Holding our wands up, I saw that we were in a deep underground prison. I had a feeling that we were well below the Manor by miles. The only light available was being emitted from our wands.

"Where are we now?" I asked Cho. She took out the map and we gathered around it. 

"We have to head that way," she said. Her wand was pointed in the direction of a wooden door that looked oddly out of place in the stone prison.

We trooped over and Harry opened the door. Stepping in, the first thing I noticed was aisles of barred cells. Lots of them. The cells had been placed in a sort of organized way, as if Lucius Malfoy had so many prisoners he need some form of classification. According to Dumbledore and Remus, Sirius was supposed to be in one of them. It was only a matter of finding which one.

We split into three groups again, each picking an aisle to walk down. The cells were empty, having been picked clean by the Ministry. The abandoned dungeons were giving me chills, so I walked a little closer to Ron. Images of tormented wizards imprisoned there invaded my mind, and I tried unsuccessfully to push the thoughts out of my head. I could tell that Ron was a little uneasy too by the way he gripped my hand. Harry, though, walked ahead without a care.

"Found him!" someone yelled out. It sounded like Tony. We quickly made our way over to the next row of cells where the others had already gathered, looking through the bars.

Sirius Black was lying unconscious in the cramped cell. 

"_Alohomora_," said Harry, aiming his wand at the iron padlock. It clicked open and Harry stepped inside.

Ron and I went in after him, while the others stood milling around, unsure of what to do. Finally, they all just plopped to the ground or leaned against the bars, tired from the walking and climbing. 

"_Enervate_," I said, pointing my own wand at Sirius. He stirred and I looked at him closer. His face was a little pale from what I could see in the light of Ron's lit wand, and some stubble had appeared on his face.

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Sirius coughed. Ron took off his cloak and rolled it into a ball, placing it under Sirius' head.

"Do you know where you are?" I asked him. 

"Yeah… at the Malfoys'. What day is it?"

"It's been two days since Lucius kidnapped you. Have you been here the entire time?"

  
Sirius nodded, but winced as he put a hand to his head. "Yes. I was walking in the woods and I found Malfoy's hideout. A Death Eater came out and saw me. Then they just attacked." 

His voice sounded hoarse. Tony grabbed an empty bottle out of his bag, tapped it with his wand and said, "_Aqua_." Water quickly filled the bottle, which Tony handed to a grateful Sirius.

"Who's 'they?'" asked Harry.

"Lucius Malfoy and another Death Eater. I think it was MacNair. Next thing I knew, I woke up in this stupid cell and Malfoy was standing outside, watching me. He used _Stupefy_ a few times to knock me out."

"Have you seen any of the other Malfoys?" asked Owen from around the cell.

"No one else has come down. Only Lucius and he just keeps on trying to get information. He used veritaserum on me. He knows everything about the U.A.A. now." Sirius looked ashamed.

"It's not your fault, Sirius," said Harry sharply.

"At least he can't break in. Only Dumbledore knows how to get past the charms," said Ron. Only U.A. agents could apparate or disapparate from the agency.

"Sirius, how are you feeling? Do you think you can walk?" I asked.

"I'll be fine," he rasped. He got to his feet with the help of Harry and Ron. "Let's get out of here before anyone comes back."

We all stood up to leave the dungeons. 

"Let's get out of here fast. This place creeps me out," said Cho. She leaned against one of the cell doors. "At least we – oh!" Her wand had slipped out of her pocket and into the cell. We stared as it disappeared in midair.

"Here," said Owen. He pointed his wand at the cell's lock, nervously saying "_Alohomora_." 

After it unlocked, Cho opened the door and cautiously walked inside. There was a collective gasp and we all took a step backwards as she, too, disappeared. Even after seeing Cho walk inside, the cell looked empty like all the other cells in the dungeon. A few seconds later, she emerged, holding her wand and looking white as a ghost.

"Cho?" Ella looked worried. "What happened? What did you see?"

Cho said nothing as she gave us a perplexed look, then turned back to the cell. She raised her wand and in a shaking voice, said, "_Aparecium_."

At first, nothing happened. But then, slowly, the air inside shimmered. Then nothing again.

"Someone help me with this," she said. I took a step forward and so did Marcy. Together, the three of us pointed our wands at the cell, concentrated and said, "_Aparecium_." The others stood waiting.

The air shimmered again but with more force. Then it looked as if the inside of the cell turned to dust and fell to the ground. What was left was an exact replica of the previous cell, but with an addition. Lying on the floor, sleeping like a baby, was Draco Malfoy.

Chapter Six is on the way! 


	6. Unraveled

Chapter Six:

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters belong to the great and wonderful J.K. Rowling. 

Author's Note: This fic is set seven years after Harry, Ron and Hermione's graduation. I urge the shippers of H/H and D/G to look past the, well, lack of it. This is my first piece of fanfiction and I hope you enjoy it! I'd appreciate any constructive criticism and/or comments.

****

Chapter Six: Unraveled

By Stardust

"Malfoy!" 

Draco Malfoy, like an innocent child, opened his eyes and blinked at us. After a sudden movement on our part, he blinked again, staring at the duelling end of nine different wands, and ten angry glares.

"What are you doing here?" Harry's green eyes blazed.

Draco's eyebrows furrowed and he slowly sat up. Though we hadn't seen him for eight or nine years, he still looked remarkably like his old self, minus the long disheveled hair, gaunt face and pale skin. Well… the pale skin was the same.

He sat on the small stone bench with ruffled hair and sleepy eyes. "What are _you_ doing here?"

Ten pairs of eyes narrowed. Ron was the first to speak. His voice shook with anger. "We're here to rescue our friend, if you must know. Now tell us why we shouldn't just kill you here on the spot."

Draco simply looked at us, confused. "Who _are_ you people?"

* * *

"He doesn't recognize any of you?" Dumbledore looked solemn.

"No, none of us," answered Cho. "He seemed disillusioned after he asked us who we were."

Dumbledore didn't say a word.

"When we investigated the rest of the cell, we found a black orb floating near the ceiling," I said. "After a few tests, we discovered it was a _Solis Luna_ orb." A _Solis Luna_ orb was very rare. It was enchanted so that it would emit the same amount of sun or moon light as the sky around it – similar to the ceiling in the Great Hall at Hogwarts. It must have been in the cell to provide some light for Draco.

"To be honest," I said, "I have no idea what to think." 

Ron gave me a look. "If Hermione doesn't know what to think, then we're all in trouble." I smiled at the underlying compliment.

Patrick and Ella had been sent to guard Malfoy while Sirius had been accompanied to the medical wing by Harry. The rest of us once again sat at the round oak table with Dumbledore.

"If you don't know what to think, Hermione, then we must find some more information." He winked at me, then stood. "But first, I would like you all to get some rest. It is three thirty in the morning and you are all tired and dirty. Go home." He must have read our minds, or at least mine, because he added, "I will look after Draco Malfoy. A few more hours until this enigma is solved will not matter."

He refused to accept 'no' as an answer and we had no choice but to either apparate home or collapse from exhaustion on a suitable couch somewhere in the building. Ron and I went to visit Sirius and Harry instead.

We walked into the infirmary room where we heard Sirius say to a stubborn Harry, "Please, just go home to Ginny. She'll be worried."

"He's right," Ron spoke up from the door where we stood. "Ginny's probably going to be upset if you're out all night."

"We'll make sure Sirius is taken care of," I added. Sirius just rolled his eyes.

Finally, Harry consented. "Fine. I'll go. But if anything happens, let me know."

"Definitely," I replied. "We're meeting in the lecture room at seven-thirty."

Harry groaned. "How am I going to explain this to Ginny?"

"Just tell her me and Hermione kept you out late and Oliver called in a practice in the morning," said Ron.

"That'll do, I guess." Harry disapparated.

"You know, you really don't have to keep me company," said Sirius. "I can take care of myself."

"Doesn't seem like it," said Ron, as we both crawled into a bed on either side of Sirius.

I yawned as Ron pointed his wand at the oil lamps and extinguished the flames. In the darkness, we laid in silence. Then, habit taking over, I called out, "Goodnight, Ron, love you."

Ron's sleepy voice drifted over to me. "Night, 'Mione, love you too."

I turned over in the bed and drew the covers up to my chin. Then I smiled as I heard a muffled groan from Sirius. 

* * *

I opened my eyes. Sunlight streamed through the windows. I stretched my arms above my head and turned to look at Ron and Sirius. Both were still sound asleep; Ron's chest heaved as he breathed and Sirius' head was buried somewhere beneath his pillow.

I held my wrist above my face and my Muggle watch told me it was seven thirty five. "Oh, _no_." I sprang out of the bed and went to shake Sirius and Ron awake.

"Get up, we're late!"

"Oh, my head," moaned Ron as I tried to pull him off the bed.

"Come _on_!"

"Hermione, calm down." Sirius was interrupted by a yawn. "We've still got time."

"No. We don't. Now get up so we can go!"

It took a few more minutes of prodding before Sirius and Ron were finally able to stand on their own two feet. Three hours of sleep after what we had gone through, especially Sirius, definitely wasn't enough to sustain us, but I think some kind of sense of duty came over me because all I wanted was to get to the lecture room.

After finally arriving, I discovered that we weren't the only ones who were late. Marcy and Tony arrived at the same moment we did, and a few others were missing still, including Dumbledore himself. 

Finally, at quarter to eight when we had all gathered, Dumbledore showed up. He close the door behind him.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting," he said cheerfully as he sat down, "but I'm sure you just arrived a few minutes ago."

Dumbledore's face turned serious as he looked at us all in turn. "I have with me a vial of very strong veritaserum. I talked to Draco Malfoy last night, or shall I say, early this morning. He tells me that he doesn't know where he is, who we are and more importantly, he doesn't have much of an idea of who he is himself."

There was a general case of muttering around the table.

"I believe him," said Dumbledore, simply.

The muttering stopped.

"You can't mean it," Ron said. "He's _Draco Malfoy_! He was a Death Eater! He dropped out of Hogwarts in sixth year! He's… he's Draco Malfoy!"

"Yes, Ron, he is Draco. But he's not what he used to be." He held up his hand to keep us quiet. "As I said, I have a vial of veritaserum. I will use on Mr. Malfoy and we will see what he has to say." He called out in the direction of the door, "Remus, you may escort Mr. Malfoy in now."

Remus and Draco walked in. Draco's hair had been cut, and he seemed a bit cleaner from the night before. He was still incredibly skinny though. I could only imagine what he must have been feeling at that moment.

Draco sat in the empty chair by Dumbledore, and Remus took a seat near us. He seemed relieved to see Sirius as well.

"Will you be comfortable doing this?" asked Dumbledore.

Draco seemed determined. "I'll be fine. I want to know what's happened too." The night before at the Manor, we had all given Draco an earful of what we thought of him. He didn't understand how any of what we said related to him.

Dumbledore pulled out a few pieces of parchment and a Quality-Quick-Quotes quill. He gave Draco the vial and he drank its contents. We waited for a few seconds, then the questions began.

"What is your name?"

"Draco Louis Malfoy."

"Who are your parents?"

"My father is Lucius Malfoy."

"Who is your mother?"

"I don't know."

Ten seconds into the game and it was getting interesting already.

"You don't know your mother's name?"

"I don't know who my mother is."

"Let's move on. What house were you in at Hogwarts?"

"I don't remember."

Another pause. Then, "What were you doing in the Manor dungeons?"

"My father locked me up in there."

"Why?"

"He tells me its to keep me safe and continue the family line."

"How long have you been kept in that cell?"

"For at least a week, as far as I can remember."

"What do you remember before last week?"

"… Nothing. I just woke up one day and my father had his wand pointed at me. I can't remember anything before that." 

Sensing a pattern, Dumbledore asked, "Can you remember anything from the past month?"

"Only my week in the dungeon."

"The past year?"

"Nothing."

"Since your sixth year at Hogwarts?"

"No."

Dumbledore sighed. "This may be more complicated than I thought. Are you telling me that you cannot remember anything from before last week?"

"Yes."

"One more question, Draco. Do you know who any of these people are?"

Draco looked at each of us in turn. I shivered as his eyes met mine. 

"I only know Sirius Black."

Dumbledore paused, then asked another series of questions.

"How do you know who he is?"

"I saw him in the cell across from mine, and my father told me about him when he visited me."

"What did he say?"

"He said that Black is a bastard and the only reason he's still alive is so we can find out more about the Undercover Auror Agency."

"What does Lucius know of the U.A.A.?"

"It's an undercover wizarding agency founded by Albus Dumbledore. The agents seek out and defeat dark wizards. The Undercover Auror Agents are stronger and more knowledgeable than regular Aurors."

Dumbledore waiting, seemingly thinking hard. "Thank you, Draco. That will be all." He pointed his wand at Draco and said, "_Compleos_," then stood up. "Harry, Sirius, Remus? May I see you outside the room for a moment?"

When they left the room, the rest of us turned to look at Draco. He seemed a bit more awkward looking than when he first came into the room. None of us said a word as we waited for the others to return. When they finally did, Remus came in last, holding a familiar looking stone bowl.

"A Pensieve?" asked Ron.

"They can help us remember events that we may not even believe have happened to us," said Dumbledore. "And I have a suspicion that Draco's father is using a memory charm on him. This Pensieve will help us see what the mystery really is."

Remus set the heavy bowl onto the table in front of Draco.

"Draco, if you don't want the others to say," Dumbledore said, gesturing to us agents, "I can have them leave."

"No, it's fine." Draco's face was set. "Let's get started. I'd like to know what's going on." He must have felt horrible, not knowing who he really was.

"Close your eyes," said Dumbledore. Draco obeyed.

Dumbledore took his wand and pressed it to Draco's temple, then closed his eyes too. After a moment, he removed the wand and dropped the thin silvery threads attached to it into the Pensieve.

He did this a few more times, accumulating more threads as he went along. After around the tenth time, he asked Draco to open his eyes. Dumbledore dipped his wand into the small amount of silver mist and prodded its contents.

A small image of Lucius Malfoy appeared from out of the mist. He pointed a wand at us as he revolved. The tiny echoing voice could be heard saying, "_Obliviate_!"

He bent foward as if he were speaking to us. "This is for your own good."

"You're a failure, Draco."

"Why couldn't you have amounted to anything?"

"I always suspected you weren't good enough to be a Death Eater."

Throughout the display, Draco sat silently. I wondered if he was recalling anything from his past.

Dumbledore once again dipped his wand into the Pensieve, saying, "_Chronus_, _Abs_ _Sedecim_ _Juventus_." My limited knowledge of Latin from U.A.A. training told me that he was asking for stand-out memories occuring when Draco was sixteen or older – in the year he left Hogwarts.

A blurry three dimensional scene began to unfold before our eyes. Lucius Malfoy and Draco were in the Manor's foyer. A heated argument was taking place.

"I'm going back to Hogwarts, Father."

"There's nothing there for you, Draco. It is your time to join the Dark Lord."

"I already told you, I'm not joining anyone. I'll do what I want."

"If you don't get back here this minute…"

"You can't make me stay!" 

"_Stupefy_!"

Narcissa Malfoy appeared in the mist. "Lucius, what are you doing?!"

"I'm just doing what's best for him."

The mist dissolved into darkness, and then a new scene appeared. Draco was lying in the cold stone floor of his cell. Across him was another prisoner who, judging by his clothes and appearance, had been in the cell for a few months. Footsteps could be heard approaching. The person appeared; it was Narcissa.

"Here's your dinner, Draco."

She pushed a small plate into the cell underneath the small opening the iron bars.

"Thanks, Mother."

"Draco…" Narcissa seemed at a loss for words.

"It's alright, Mother. I understand." Draco's voice sounded false and hollow. Narcissa nodded, looking awkwardly around her at the prisoners and cells. She definitely did not seem to blend into the atmosphere.

"I'd better go," she said. "You know how your father doesn't like for me to be here."

Draco nodded. Narcissa walked away, and the scene faded out when her footsteps could no longer be heard.

The mist clouded over the scene again. When it cleared, we saw Lucius Malfoy approaching the cell. The opposite cell was empty.

"Draco."

"Father."

"Your mother passed away last night." 

Draco lowered his head. 

"She wanted me to tell you that she loves – loved – you." Draco didn't say a word. When it became obvious that Draco wasn't going to say anything, Lucius left.

Draco reached his hand toward his face and brushed away a few tears from his cheek. I felt like doing the same.

The next memories passed by in quick succession instead of stopping and focusing on just one. 

Prisoners came and went in the cell across Draco's. The news of Voldemort's defeat from Lucius, accompanied by a few choice words to describe Harry. Lucius brewing Polyjuice potion to use in case of an emergency, and cutting Draco's hair. He used the cut locks as a supply for the Polyjuice. Lucius taking Draco to a hideout in the forest while the Manor was emptied. Draco trying to escape. Draco being returned to the cell. Lucius charming the cell to appear empty.

We caught a few glimpses of scenes that explained why things were the way they were. Lucius sometimes brought a few of his Death Eater friends to the dungeons, which they occasionally used as a hideout. Lucius leaving Draco enough food to last him for months when they had to go to a new hideout or meet new Death Eaters elsewhere. Lucius… slowly turning mad from frustration. 

Then the scenes paused on one for us to watch. Sirius lay unconscious in the cell opposite Draco's while Lucius spoke.

"We've got the research, Draco." Draco remained silent. "Avery broke into the Weasley's home and took the research." Lucius let out a laugh. "They hid it under the floor! How stupid can you get?" I bristled at the comment. "We have almost everything we need. And I even managed to knock out the werewolf in the process."

Lucius pulled out a familiar looking stack of papers. "_How to Deflect Avada Kedavra; by Hermione Weasley. Avada Kedavra and its Abilities; by Hermione Weasley. Reanimation of Victims of Avada Kedavra; by Hermione Weasley_. Exactly what we need!"

At Lucius' speech, everyone at the table turned a few shades paler. _Reanimation of Victims of Avada Kedavra_. Lucius knew. What he said next chilled my blood.

"And now… now, we can finally do what we've wanted to do for so long. We can rule again. We can rule with the Dark Lord."

Done for now! Thanks for all those awesome reviews; they've helped me quite a bit!

Chapter Seven is in the works but I hope to get it up to you soon. :) 

BTW, I noticed something rather embarrassing. In chapter one, I stated that everyone defeated Voldemort in their second year. *blushes* Er, that should be seventh year… Hope this didn't cause confusion or anything.


	7. Changing Tides

Chapter Seven: Preferred Customer Normal Valued Gateway Client 3 2 2001-07-08T00:05:00Z 2001-11-04T18:49:00Z 2001-11-04T18:51:00Z 6 2961 16883 PB 140 33 20733 9.4402 0 0 

**Chapter Seven: Changing Tides**

**By Gemini**

Lucius' revelations spawned quite a few comments from my teammates.

"Aw, bloody hell."  Ron, blunt as always.

"They're going to rule with Voldemort?" asked Sirius sharply.  "How is that possible!?"

"Voldemort again?" moaned Harry.  "He's been defeated twice.  When are they going to realize he's a loser?"

"When are we getting a _new villain?" Cho grumbled._

The scenes in the Pensieve turned to our arrival and freeing Draco, so Dumbledore stopped it from showing us any more.

"Draco, can you tell us what you know of Lucius' plans?"

"I don't know much," Draco said, looking down at the table.  "Only what he's happened to tell me."  He seemed a bit embarrassed, as if it was somehow his fault.

"It's alright," reassured Dumbledore.  "Just tell us what you can about the past week."

"Avery, another Death Eater, came in a few days ago dragging Black's body into the cell opposite mine.  I tried to talk to him, but the charm on my cell didn't allow anyone to see or hear me.  My father came hours later and told me what happened.  Black had come upon the hideout in Bulgaria and was about to go back to the Auror camp.  My father knocked him out and took a few of his hairs to put in some Polyjuice Potion."

"Why would your father have Polyjuice Potion with him?" Marcy asked.

Draco looked a little blank while I already figured out the answer.  "Lucius is on the run, right?  It would make sense if he had the Potion handy in case he was near civilization.  At the very least he would draw attention away from himself and towards Draco, who no one would ever find."  He looked a little surprised about my revelation.  Then again, he probably didn't remember that I was often reffered to as "Know-It-All Granger" back at Hogwarts.

"Let's get back to the Voldemort part again," said Remus.  "How exactly are they going to bring him back?"  No one else had an answer.  I thought back to what Lucius had said, fully digesting his words.  A sickening feeling crept up my throat.

"By _Avada Kedavra," I whispered.  "My research…"  I knew exactly what Lucius had._

I had my research practically memorized – something I found easy to do.  "It was all about _Avada Kedrava.  I think…" I trailed off as I tried to think of how Lucius was going to do it.  He must have… _

"Hermione!"

I snapped out of my thoughts only to find Ron and everyone else at the table staring at me.  "Sorry," I said, flustered.

"Your research, Hermione?" asked Dumbledore gently.

"Right.  Yes, well, it was on a recent breakthrough at the Ministry in my department.  I didn't present it to the U.A.A. yet because it's not quite finished.  There are a few touch-ups that need to be done."

"Well, I think it's a good idea you present it now," said Sirius, though not unkindly.  I nodded.

"Alright.  As you know, we discovered that _Avada Kedavra kills people by annihilating their soul, correct?"  The others nodded.  "Well, we've got a new idea that proves otherwise.  One of the members of my department formulated a theory that instead of annihilating the soul, __Avada Kevrada just… sent it somewhere else."_

The others looked dubious.  "Er… where?" asked Owen.  

I started speaking again, a little flustered.  "We're a little unsure on this part, but we're thinking another plane of existence, sort of like an afterlife.  Anyway, as soon as he gave us the theory, we began to see how it made sense.  We took all the information we had on different planes of existences and came up with the idea that my report is based upon."  I paused so they could reflect upon what I had said, then plunged into the shocker.  "We've managed to create a Counterpotion to give _Avada Kedavra victims their soul back."_

"A Counterpotion?" 

"How would that even work?"

"I can't believe it!"

Dumbledore listened quietly.

I went on.  "The Counterpotion is a vital part of the Counterspell.  It works by distributing itself through the body.  It has strong and rare ingredients that are commonly used in potions pertaining to life and death."  Here I stopped for a minute before continuing.  What I said next was quite unbelievable to myself even after doing so much research on it.  "The ingredients… 'call' upon the body's former soul, bringing it back into _this plane of existence, back to life."_

"Is that all?" asked Ron weakly.  "I thought it was just going to be something completely unbelievable."  I ignored him.  His sarcasm was always at its highest during a tense situation.

"The spell takes an incredibly high level of magic.  It bridges this world to the next and the bridge must not be harmed or disturbed in any way.  Needless to say, this is a complicated spell and should not be attempted by an amateur.  We've already researched a few places where this attempt could be made, and there aren't many."

"And this is how Lucius Malfoy is going to bring back Voldemort?" asked Harry.  His face was pale.

"Yes, but there's one catch.  The soul that is brought back will be weak.  Lucius would need to keep Voldemort sheltered and out of the way after he's brought back."

"So we have his plan.  What now?" asked Owen.

"Now, _we need a plan," said Harry firmly.  "And a location.  And Lucius' schedule."_

"We also need some protection.  What if Voldemort comes back and he's stronger than we expected?" asked Cho.  She turned to me.  "And how do you know this will really work?"

I sighed.  I knew I'd have to tell them eventually.  "Tests.  We've tested wizards."  Everyone looked shocked.  "We got the permission from their relatives.  They knew full well what they were getting into.  But we couldn't…"  I trailed off.

"Are these people alive now?"

"No.  Like I said, their souls were weak.  They no longer belonged in this world.  We had to take them out of the bodies again," I explained solemnly.  "Voldemort would be different.  He's stronger than these four wizards put together."

"We have to stop the Death Eaters," said Tony, determined.

"How?"

"A plan, location, and schedule," Harry repeated.  "Oh, and protection."

"The location and schedule I'm sure we could work out," I said.  "Protection's easy."

"So, location?"

"Somewhere magical.  Lucius can't just do this spell just anywhere.  It has to be somewhere where the bridge is thinner."

Dumbledore spoke up.  "There is a list of such places in our library.  Would anyone care to go look?"

Cho stood up.  "We'll go," she said, gesturing to Tony, Ella and herself.

"As for the schedule…" Dumbledore continued.  We were in what Ron liked to call 'full agent mode.'

Patrick spoke up.  "We'll work it out.  It's all strategy anyway.  As long as we get a copy of Hermione's research though.  We'll need it for information."  He turned to me.  "I assume you made a copy?"

"Yes, one or two are in the Ministry vaults.  I even have a copy in the U.A.A. vault, just in case."

Dumbledore nodded.  "Alright.  Cho, Tony, Ella… I'm sure you'll find the libraries to be stock full of information.  Patrick, Marcy, Owen…  Work on Lucius' plans.  Ask around Knockturn Alley, I'm sure you'll find some answers there.  Harry, Ron, Hermione… Go with them to Knockturn Alley.  You'll find items for Dark Arts protection there.  And that will give Hermione a chance to get her research."  He turned to me.  "Don't take it from the Ministry.  You'll attract attention.  Go to Gringotts instead.  And do you remember any of the ingredients from the spell?"

"I can remember all of them," I answered.

"Good.  Write out a short list for Patrick so he can ask around Knockturn Alley for anyone who's purchased these items.  And write out another list for Cho so she can have a bit of guidance on what locations to look for."

"What can we do?" asked Sirius.

"You and Remus can contact other Agents.  We'll need a lot for this one.  We can't take chances..."  

"What about me?" interrupted Draco.

"Are you certain you want to be involved in this?"

"I've been involved since I was sixteen."  Draco's eyes had no hint of emotion attached.

"Go with Cho's team.  We can't afford to have you out in public yet."

He turned his attention back to all of us.  "We'll regroup back at the discussion room at one o'clock.  Will that be enough time?"  We nodded.  "Good luck then."

*     *     *

"Alright, see you later."  Marcy waved at us as she left in the opposite direction with Patrick and Owen.  I waved back.  We watched as they went into Borgin and Burkes, then Harry turned to me and Ron.

"Look, I need to go owl Ginny and tell her I won't be home today."  He sighed.  "We've been engaged less than a week and she's already getting suspicious and asking where I'm going to be all the time.  At least when we were living together normally, she was a little lenient."

"Don't worry, Harry," said Ron, clapping him on the shoulder.  "She'll come around."

I shot at a disbelieving look at my two best friends.  "'She'll come around?'  I think she deserves a bit more than that, don't you?"

Ron waved away my comment while dispensing some brotherly advice to Harry.  "You'll work it out one day.  Trust me, Ginny won't do anything rash.  Just go and owl her now.  Me and Hermione will wait at Fleur's."

"Actually, dear," I said sweetly, "you go with Harry to the Owlery and I'll head to Gringotts."

I swung my purse over my shoulder and walked away, leaving behind a dejected Ron and laughing Harry.  

On my way out of Knockturn Alley and toward Gringotts, I was nearly bowled over by a news boy, shouting, "Get your copy of the Daily Prophet here! Only five Knuts!"

I turned down a copy because I had my own subscription, but I overheard a few wizards and witches discussing that day's news.

"Another one? We haven't had one in years!  Imagine that…"

I was curious to know what they were talking about, but I had no time.  I quickened my pace toward Gringotts.  When it came into sight, I noticed a large crowd gathered at the bottom of the steps.  There were a large number of goblins trying to hold back the throng of wizards.

"What's going on here?" I asked a witch who seemed to be near my age. 

"Haven't you read the Prophet?  There's been a break-in.  They won't let us in, but we need to get our stuff!"  

I exhaled frustratingly.  Wait a second…

I pushed my way toward the mass, which, believe me, is hard to do if you're a small person.  I approached a mean-looking goblin and tapped him on the shoulder. "Is there any way I can get in?"

"No there isn't, Ma'am..  Please, just step away.  The issue is currently being resolved."

I pulled my Ministry card out of my purse.  "I'm with the Ministry.  Maybe I can help?"

After a suspicious glance, he called to another goblin, "Hey, I'm taking this one in, alright?  She's with the Ministry."

I followed him inside ("Hey, why does _she get to go in?") and was taken to a gathering of goblins and Ministry wizards.  I saw Percy and Bill off to the side, and quickly turned my head so they wouldn't see me._

"Which vault was broken into?" I asked.

"Vault one thousand seventy-three," the goblin replied.  I froze.  

"The U.A.A. vault?"  I said, a bit disbelievingly.

He whipped his head around quickly, pulled me to the side and hissed, "How do you know about that?"

I dug into my purse again and pulled out my other card.  I showed to him undisguised – a dark blue identification card with yellow writing.  He raised an eyebrow at the interesting colouring but I simply shrugged.  Ron's was green, but I had never seen Harry's.  I mean, our ID cards weren't something to be passed around carelessly.  Come to think of it though, Cho's was blue too.

He took my arm and led me to the side door which I had entered just a few days ago.  We made our way through the familiar route, finally stopping at the vault labeled "1073."  A few empty carts were already parked in front.  The door was already open, and I saw that there were more goblins and Ministry wizards milling around when I stepped inside.

"How did they get in?" I asked.  "What did they take?"

Before the goblin could answer, I heard a familiar voice calling my name.

"Hermione!  What are you doing here?"  Arthur Weasley strode toward me.

"Hello Arthur!  I was just here to help investigate," I responded, desperately hoping he would believe me.  "We thought maybe a Dark Wizard broke in…"

"Good, good," he said absentmindedly.  "I'm sure you'll figure out who it is, my dear.  Now if you'll excuse me, I really can't talk long."

"I understand," I assured him.  He went off again to talk to the other Ministry wizards.

The goblin who brought me there had gone to speak with the others, so I made my way toward the shelves where I knew my research was kept.  I grabbed the packet of papers and quickly stuffed them into my purse.  I turned to leave, but something caught my eye.  Where there should have been four vials of red liquid, there were only three.  I picked up the remaining three vials and checked their casings.  It clicked into place.  _Lucius._

*     *     *

"Hermione, you're back!"

After fifteen minutes of frantically searching for Ron and Harry, I found them sitting with the other team at Fleur's cafe.  I desperately wanted to tell them what I found, but I couldn't – there were too many people around.  It would have to wait.  I'd just tell them later, when we all regrouped.  It'd save time, anyway.  And I wouldn't have to go through the ordeal twice…

"Did you get what you need?" asked Owen.

"Got it," I said, patting my bag.  "How much time do we have left?"  I impatiently pushed a few loose strands of hair out of my face.

"Enough for a nice lunch," replied Ron.  He glanced at me, then to Fleur who was serving some customers, then back at me.  After what looked like a fierce internal debate, he sighed heavily.  "So, where do you want to eat?"

I smiled as I sat down beside him.  "Right here is fine," I said, kissing him on the cheek.

We spent the next forty minutes chatting.  I would have rather compared notes and seen what the others had found out, but we had to take some precautions.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, we went back to Headquarters.  Of course, we couldn't Apparate directly inside the building so we Apparated to a spot about a  five-minute walk away outside.  I discreetly tried to hurry them along the forest path, but they just wanted to take it easy, much to my annoyance.  The final straw was when Owen told me to "stop and smell the roses" along the trail.  I grabbed him, then whoever was on my other side, and proceeded in pulling them toward the grand estate as fast as possible.

Upon reaching the discussion room, there were a few more Agents milling around outside the door.  Before I had met Cho and the others, I had never known who the other Agents were besides Ron, Harry, Remus and Sirius.  Of course, I saw a few walking around the hallways sometime, but I never found out their names.  

We said a polite hello to the few Agents who were leaning against the wall, then stepped inside the large discussion room where more Agents were talking in groups of threes.  Immediately we made our way to Cho, Tony, Ella and Draco.  Sirius and Remus were in a conversation at the back of the room.  I noticed Draco was receiving some confused looks and glares from the other Agents.  Many of them I didn't recognize, but some of the ones I recognized from Hogwarts were Justin Finch-Fletchley, Terry Boot and Susan Bones, among others.  I didn't know Terry and Susan as well as Justin, but I gave them a distracted smile anyway.

Dumbledore stepped in a few minutes later and the buzz stopped.  The Agents in the hall came inside and the last one in shut the door.

"Hello, everyone.  Please, have a seat."  Each of us took a seat, filling up the three quarters of the chairs.  Dumbledore took a spot at the front of the room behind a small podium.

"Some of you already know why you are here," he said, looking down at where I was sitting with the Harry, Ron and the others.  "Most of you do not.  What you are about to hear this afternoon may shock you, but believe me, it is the truth."  He began a detailed explanation of what we had gone through since Draco's, or rather Lucius', appearance in Bulgaria.  I tapped my foot impatiently until Ron put a hand on my knee to calm me down.

Dumbledore outlined the events so far.  Slowly, the other Agents stopped giving Draco such angry glares.  When Dumbledore reached the point where I began to explain my research, he stopped and asked, "Hermione, would you care to come up here and explain?"  

I stepped up to the small podium and looked out at the Agents.  I wanted to talk about what I had found earlier, but unfortunately it wasn't time yet.  Instead, I launched into a detailed description, much like the one I did earlier that morning.  This time, I had the aid of my research to guide me.

Finally, it was time to present our findings.  Cho's team went first, accompanied by Draco.

"We've narrowed down the field to two places," Tony began.  "Stonehenge and Callanish."  

"We honestly don't know which Lucius will use," said Ella.  "Either of the two places is likely.  The other places that were candidates were either too far away or the bridge wasn't weak enough to perform the spell."

"Stonehenge, as you all know, is in Southern England on the Salisbury Plain.  Since it's very high profile, Lucius might not want to use it," said Cho.  "However, it is the place where the bridge is weakest in this world.  Callanish isn't as weak, but it would still be more than suitable for Lucius' plans.  It's located on the island of Lewis in Scotland, in the Outer Hebrides."

"How will we know which place to go?" asked an Agent near the back row.  She seemed a little subdued by the sudden onslaught of information.

"We don't.  We thought we could split up the teams.  Half of us could go to Stonehenge, the other half to Callanish.  When Lucius shows up at one of them, that team can send a messenger to the other teams so they can Apparate back."

"And how do we know that Lucius will definitely be at one of these two places?" 

"Common sense," replied Tony.  "The Death Eaters will definitely want a place that will make it easier for them.  There are only a few places like that around this area, and they can't really transport Voldemort's body to the other weak areas, like Egypt.  The few other places are either too strong so there would be danger in the spell, or only weak at certain points in the year, which we aren't anywhere near."

Patrick's team was up next.  

"Someone has definitely been purchasing these items from Knockturn Alley," Owen said.  "Lucius only received the information two days ago, and he's already getting ready."

"We do have a small lead, though.  The person who has been buying these items is reported as being very impatient, like he needs these ingredients right away.  We know it must be Lucius because he bought them all last night," said Patrick.

"Most of the ingredients can only be used at a certain time – the full moon," revealed Marcy.  "And unfortunately, if you can believe it, that's tonight."

_Tonight?  We had no time!  It was like a nightmare coming to life, without any time for us to react.  Apparently the others were thinking the same thing.  A low rumbling had spread throughout the room, and I could hear a few angry whispers.  Marcy continued.  "He's been planning for a few days now, but he'll be prepared for tonight, definitely."  __But will we? I wondered._

Dumbledore took his place at the podium again as Patrick's team sat down.  

"Now we have everything we need.  All that is left is to formulate a plan," he said.  _Finally!  I could speak!  I had to hand it to him too; he seemed very calm and patient for knowing that an old enemy was about to arise._

Quickly, before he could say anything else, I put up my hand.

"Yes, Hermione?"

"Sir, I think I may know a bit more about Lucius' plans that we do now."  Ron and Harry gave me a curious look.

"You do?" asked Dumbledore.  I nodded.

Smiling, as if he expected this of me, he said, "Why don't you come up here and explain?"

I stepped up to the podium for the second time that day, and began to outline what I had discovered at Gringotts.

*  *  *

Thanks as always to Moey, Demi and Danae for the beta-reads.  Two chapters left! J Meanwhile, check out Atlantis for my new Foundersfic. It's in its beginning stages, but it'll speed up soon. I hope.

Thanks for reading, and drop a review! 


	8. Another Day

Title: Sleeping Dragons (Chapter Eight: Another Day)

Author Name: Gemini

Author Email: gemini@schnoogle.com 

Category: Action/Adventure

Keywords: Ron, Hermione, Harry, Draco, Post-Hogwarts

Spoilers: All four books.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: A Post-Hogwarts fic. Harry, Ron and Hermione are 25 and leading a normal life on the surface. Old characters and familiar faces return, including the likes of Draco, Lucius, Sirius, Remus… Cameos by lots of minor characters as well. 

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. 

Author's Notes: Thanks so much to Demi Paradise, Danae Tripp and Moey for the beta read.  One more chapter left, everyone!  And something you won't be pleased to hear: I have barely started it.  Unfortunately, Grade 12 is taking up much time, and so is my other story, Shades of Grey (link to that's after the chapter).  I promise to finish soon though. I already have a lot of it planned out. I have a feeling it'll be longer than what I've written so far. It will sort of be a chapter and an epilogue combined into one.  But no more about that, read on for Chapter Eight of Sleeping Dragons!  

**Chapter Eight: Another Day**

**By Gemini**

I finished outlining the details of the Gringotts break-in to the other teams, and they sat in amazed silence until I finished.  I concluded with, "If what I'm assuming about my plan is correct, then we'll need to move _very quickly."_

"You've made a brilliant observation, Hermione," remarked Dumbledore, nodding.  He stood to join me at the podium.  "We are all in a very awkward situation here, my friends.  An old enemy is about to return, hard as it may be to believe."

"You've got that right," mumbled someone in the front row.

"As Hermione said," continued Dumbledore, "we'll have to move quickly."  His eyes had a hint of that feral, glittering quality that seemed strangely out of place yet perfect for him.  "We must _not let Lucius succeed.  There will be sacrifices and hard work involved, but we must do everything in our power to stop him."_

I was standing off to the side, watching Dumbledore as he spoke.  When I turned to look at the Agents, I _knew that they agreed with him wholeheartedly.  "Alright everyone, up please," he said.  "To the side walls, if you may."_

Dumbledore withdrew his wand from his robes and cast a circle in the air.  A round table, larger yet similar to the ones distributed around the estate, appeared and plunked itself down in the center of the room.

It was a beautiful oak table, but there was something different about it from the others.  On the outer ring was a thick band split into three equal parts of different colours: red, blue, and green.  Another thick yellow band was placed inside the tri-coloured band.  I remembered my blue identification card, and Ron's green one.  Then I knew that Harry's would be red – the colour of Gryffindor, the colour of courage and determination.

I took my spot at the blue section between Cho and Remus as part of the intelligence team.  Ron sat by Marcy in the strategy team.  Draco looked a bit unsure of where to sit at first, but he took the spot on the other side of Ron;  I was glad to see that they were at least being civil with each other.  Nervously, I waited for the others to settle down.

Dumbledore took a position in the red section flanked by Harry and Sirius on either side.  "You may have all guessed by now about the three colours around the table.  For those former Hufflepuffs who may feel a bit cheated – the yellow band that accompanies the outer band is for unwavering loyalty, not only to me, but to your fellow Agents, your friends."

A tense silence followed; we were unsure of what to say.  I'm certain we all felt a moment of gratefulness when Justin Finch-Fletchley quietly joked, "Go Hufflepuffs!"  I knew that none of us, not even Justin, were in the mood for any fun and games, but all the same we were glad for a break in the tension.

"Indeed," remarked Dumbledore, letting his jovial self return for just a second.  "We must never forget that this is what we need to honour: our friendships, our bonds, our trust in each other…  We must persevere, and I expect all of you to commit yourselves to the upcoming task."  Everyone at the table gave a sign of agreement – a soft murmur or a slight nod of the head.

"Now," he continued, "let us begin."

For the rest of the grueling afternoon, we planned, plotted and strategized.  The rest of the intelligence team and I provided the facts while strategy would point out flaws and inconsistencies.  The red practical team made sure we'd be able to pull off our ideas, assigning roles for each Agent.  I would be playing a pivotal part.

"Hermione, are you absolutely sure this is going to work?" asked Harry sharply.  The other Agents fell quiet.

I nodded.  "I'm certain."  His eyes held the concerned look of a friend who's known you over ten years, and wants to make sure he'll be able to know you for another ten.  I tore my gaze away from him to look at Ron.  He held even more concern in his eyes than Harry did.

"Hermione," he said softly, "please reconsider."  The other Agents, including Dumbledore, instantly averted their eyes towards the ceiling or their twiddling thumbs.  

"Ron," I began, "don't worry about me.  I know what I'm doing."  I wanted to say more, but my words would hardly be suitable at a table of over thirty Agents and one blonde outsider.  "Please, just… trust me."  He nodded, though hesitantly.  I wanted to go over to him, to touch his face and hold his hand.  We were so close, yet so far, separated by the vastness of the table in our midst.

During our exchange, Remus had pulled out a small, complicated pocketwatch.  After he made sure Ron and I had nothing more to say (not in front of the others, at least), he announced, "It's time."  We began to put our preparations together.  Maybe I could talk to Ron alone before we left for our mission.

I knew we were prepared.  I knew we were ready.  I knew we could win.  But I still felt like crawling into a hole and hiding in hopes that if I couldn't see Voldemort, maybe he couldn't see me.

*     *     *

 "Wands ready," instructed Sirius.  He and his team, which consisted of half of the Agents, stood on the opposite side of the room while I was by Remus and the other half of the Agents. 

"Wands ready," repeated Remus to us.  I took hold of my wand from its secured holder in my robes and saw the others do the same.

As according to plan, Sirius' team, which included Harry and Draco, left first.  "Disapparate on three.  One, two, three…" The fifteen or so Agents disappeared from the room instantly, and they would be Apparating close to Stonehenge.

Remus turned to me and asked, "Are you prepared?"

I nodded.  "I have it with me."  I placed my hand in Ron's to give it a reassuring squeeze.  I didn't get that chance to talk to him privately after all.

Ron bent over to whisper in my ear, "Be careful when we get there."  I nodded and locked eyes with him.

"Disapparate on three.  One, two, three…"  I concentrated on taking myself from the room at the U.A.A. to Callanish in Scotland.  I felt a familiar pull as I Apparated about half a kilometre outside of Callanish.  It was dusk, and I had to squint a little to see our destination.

The beautiful stone pillars rose in a large cross, surrounding what resembled an alter in the centre.  The moonlight spilled over the pillars, throwing strange shadows onto the ground.  Standing at the altar was a figure in black robes and a hood, almost invisible from the settling darkness.  I _knew it was Lucius Malfoy.  _

Other dark figures stood around Lucius.  All were wearing black robes, and dark hoods so we couldn't see their faces.  Death Eater apparel – practicality over style.  The dark hoods gave me chills.  About twenty of the figures were gathered around the stone circle – any more and we'd be in trouble.  

Remus grabbed my arm and urgently said to me, "Hermione, go to Stonehenge.  Now.  And remember the plan for when you come back."  Oh, I remembered the plan alright; it was all I could think about.

I didn't want to leave Ron, but I followed Remus' orders without a second thought.  As I Disapparated away, I felt Ron's hand slip away from my own.

In the Stonehenge circle, Sirius was pacing as the rest of his team stood watching.  When I Apparated in, he instantly stopped and ran over to grab me by my shoulders.  Wasting no time, I blurted out, "Callanish!  They're all at Callanish."

"Damn!  Alright team, let's _move!" His voice was like a bark as Harry, Draco and the others stood to attention.  Without another word, they had all Disapparated away, leaving me in solitude._

A few seconds after they left, I took a spot by one of the gigantic stone pillars, leaning against the smooth, cool rock.  I began to count to myself.

_One… Two… Three…_

I slid down the rock until I was crouched on the ground.  There was no one with me to take care of me, and I wasn't with the others to take care of _them._

_Ten… Eleven… Twelve…_

I wondered how Draco was, fighting his own father.  But he probably didn't think of Lucius as his father anymore.  Biological, maybe, but not a true father.  Lucius deserved a good curse in the rear, and I sincerely hoped Draco was the one who would cast it.  And I hoped he was alright.  He had just gotten his life back.  He deserved to live it.

_Twenty-six… Twenty-seven… Twenty-eight…_

And Dumbledore.  Dear, old Dumbledore.  He had stayed behind, too old for the fighting and dueling.  Though a healthy wizard in many aspects, he didn't consider himself well enough to duel anymore.  He said he'd had enough vanquishing evil to last him for the rest of his life.  So instead, he taught us, his Agents, to take his place, to learn the tricks of the trade.  And we were more than willing to fight for him, after all that he'd done for us.

_Sixty-four… Sixty-five… Sixty-six…_

Harry.  Poor Harry.  Always fighting, never resting.  He was and will always be The Boy Who Lived.  I wished he could just stop and take a break.  Especially since he's engaged to Ginny.  On the night before we graduated from Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and I had taken the invisibility cloak and snuck up onto the Astronomy tower.  There, we sat for hours until the light of dawn appeared.  And it was there that Harry confided in us that he wished he wasn't so confused about his life.  On one hand, he wanted to eliminate all Dark Wizards for what had happened to his parents.  On the other hand, he had a feeling his parents would have wanted him to life his life normally.  But he will always be The Boy Who Lived.

_102… 103… 104…_

Every time I'm apart from Ron, I always feel a little better knowing where he is or what he's doing.  I try not to pry, of course.  I've learned to keep my comments to myself, and just trust him.  And sitting alone in Stonehenge made me wish I hadn't accepted the main task after all.  It was driving me crazy, not being able to see what was happening to Ron.  Is he winning?  Is he losing?  Is he hurt?  Will he make it?

_139… 140… 141…_

Will _I make it?  I've had first hand experience in staying alive ever since I was eleven.  Ever since I was six, even, if you count that period of time where I enjoyed crossing roads without looking both ways, much to my mum's horror.  But I've known about Voldemort for fourteen years, and had a few encounters with him myself.  I'll never forget the feeling I had when Harry stepped into Tom Riddle's house.  Despair.  Fear.  And shame, for not going in myself.  I was the one who read the books.  I was the one who got the information.  But Ron and Harry were the ones who dueled.  I always felt like a hindrance to them.  My books couldn't teach me how.  They were written by people who dueled for sport.  I dueled to survive. Ron was sparked by his emotions, and Harry was just a natural talent, but I… I had to work at it, __hard.  And sitting in Stonehenge, I knew it was finally my turn. _

_178… 179… 180._

I brought myself to my feet.  Three minutes was what we had agreed upon during our planning.  I did a quick check to make sure I still had everything I need to defeat Lucius.  Since there was nothing else left to hold me back, I Disapparated from Stonehenge, Apparating directly to the altar at Callanish.  My first impression of the scene around me was chaos.  Utter chaos.

The moonlight was bright enough for me to size up the situation, and so were the small bursts of green lights from Death Eater wands.  A Death Eater lay face up by my feet.  Two Agents were propped against the altar at odd angles, obviously thrown there by force.  I felt an arm go around my neck but before I could do anything, there was a blast and the Death Eater was knocked out.  I turned to see Sirius holding his wand out.  He nodded at me.  "Do your job."  And then turned away to help out Justin, who was struggling against two Death Eaters.  As I stepped backward to the altar, Justin was knocked down and Sirius had tackled the two Death Eaters with Susan's help. Cries of _Avada Kedavra_ were being tossed out carelessly, and I hoped that my comrades were able to dodge them.

Laid out on the altar was Voldemort's burnt body, barely recognizable.  I could make out the look on his face: anger and rage.  Even in defeat, he didn't know when to give up.  But I put my feelings and memories aside to assess the altar.  Beside the body were bottles, vials, and various objects that I recognized from my list in the research.  The bottles were empty and the various objects looked used, worn away from magic.  The vial was still full.  It was all going according to plan.

I looked about me to make sure the Death Eaters were occupied, and spotted Ron.  He and Draco were working together against Lucius, whose back was to me.  Quickly, from my robes, I grabbed the vial that I had so preciously guarded, and replaced the one on the altar with my own.  I pocketed Slytherin's blood, and ran, dodging bodies, out of the circle to give the signal that the deed was done.

As loud as I could, I bellowed out, "_Lemon drops!"  The code was Dumbledore's suggestion.  The Death Eaters, whose hoods had been thrown back, paused for a second in confusion as to what I had just said.  The other Agents took the time to deliver a final blow, and then ran to the outer ring of the circle.  Among the bodies that remained were Justin, Ella, and…. Ron.  The moonlight poured over his body, lying on the ground._

"Ron?" I cried.  He lifted his head weakly and shook his head at me.  It took the combined strength of Cho and Draco to hold me back from running to him.  Cho cried into my ear, "He's alright, he's been Stunned."

To the Death Eaters, it looked like we were regrouping, running away.  They quickly gathered themselves together and went to stand by the altar.  Lucius was the quickest.  He grabbed the vial and poured its contents into what was left of Voldemort's mouth.

Lucius threw the empty vial away where it crashed into a pillar and broke.  "Finally," he rasped.  "You're helpless now."

We huddled together, clutching hands and holding each other.  Draco stood by the side, his arms hanging limply by his sides.  Harry came over to me, put an arm around me, and we stood close together, keeping any eye on Ron and also the present task at hand.  Solemnly, we watched as Voldemort's body began to heal itself.  The black skin turned paler, and there were wispy golden lines drawing itself down the body.  A golden mist formed, and the Death Eaters, except Lucius, drew back from the body.

Lucius stayed close to Voldemort.  His eyes were alive, dancing with delight as Voldemort's skin returned to a pale, white colour.  Abnormal by another means, but a sure sign of life returning to Voldemort.

A hand twitched.  I gripped Harry's arm tighter.  It had to have worked.  It must.

He sat up slowly, red eyes narrowed, the look of rage still there.  The golden haze shimmered around his body.  Stepping off the altar, he glanced at the Death Eaters, then at us, and back at Lucius.  "Explain."  The voice was just as I remembered - cold and devoid of life.

"Master," Lucius murmured, bowing.  The others followed.  "Master, you were…" But he trailed off.  And I smiled.

Voldemort had begun to shake; the golden mist contracted itself into his body, disappearing from sight.  He looked at Lucius again.  "_Explain!"  _

Before Lucius could say a word, Voldemort had caught sight of Harry.  "You!"  He held out his right hand, palm up, to the Death Eaters.  He waited until some poor wizard sacrificed his wand to the hand.  He held it up to his eyes, inspecting it closely.  "It'll do," he said, coldly.  

He raised his wand in our general direction.  I clutched Harry tighter, glad that Ron was on the ground and out of the way.  Ron was staring at us with wide eyes and a look of despair.

And that's when my plan worked.

Before Voldemort could even start uttering a spell, golden streaks began to shoot out of his body.  They weaved like thread around the stone pillars, then did something extraordinary.  The golden threads came over to us, and condensed into what could only be described as a ball of light.  It floated in front of Harry, as if to size him up, then split again and streaked into the night sky, lighting up Callanish better than the moon was.

Lucius stared at Voldemort's limp body which lay on the ground.  Slowly, seething, he raised his head to stare at us.  "What," he asked through clenched teeth, "has just happened?"  If looks could kill…

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the familiar vial.  Lucius' face twisted in confusion and hate.  Feeling rejuvenated and more confident, I gave him a jaunty grin.  "_This is Slytherin's blood," I explained.  "__That was Gryffindor's.  And you know the two don't mix."_

While Lucius and the rest of the Death Eaters mulled over the new information, we took our chance, shouting, "_Expelliarmus!"  Then, "__Envincium!"  Thick ropes shot out of our wand toward the Death Eaters as their wands floated in our direction.  _

Remus, Sirius, and the rest of the Agents ran over to make sure the Death Eaters were properly bound, and I quickly ran to Ron, Harry following close behind.

"Are you alright? What happened? Can you stand?" I overloaded Ron with questions as I flung myself at him.  Seeing that he was lying on the ground, I might have flung myself a little too harsh.

"Ow! Hermione, I love you and I'm glad you're alright, but geroff!"  I recollected myself as Harry stood, snickering.  Together, we helped Ron to his feet.

"I'm fine, I was just Stunned.  And after you gave the signal, I couldn't get up so I just played dead for a bit."  I hugged him hard, but remembered my previous mistake, and loosened my death grip.  

"I'm so glad," I said, my voice muffled from me speaking into his chest.  Finally, I let go so Harry could have his moment too.  None of that manly backslapping either, Harry put Ron into a full bear hug.

Harry took one of Ron's arms to sling around his shoulder, while I took the other.  Since I was shorter, I wasn't much of a help, but I could tell Ron didn't care.

Together, we walked to where the rest of the Agents were gathered, waiting, smiling…  Lucius and the rest of the Death Eaters were placed in full body-binds.  Voldemort lay still on the ground.  It was over.

Wait.

As Harry, Ron and I stepped past the lifeless body, I noticed a small movement out of the corner of my eye.  Voldemort's pale hand.  Frowning, I tugged on Ron's arm.

"Stop, something's wrong."  The Agents and Death Eaters watched closely as I let go of Ron and took a tentative step toward Voldemort's body, which had begun to twitch and turn.

I kneeled beside the cold body, and leaned closer.  Reaching out my hand, I let it hover carefully over his face.

"Hermione…" Sirius' voice held a warning tone.  "What are you doing?"  He and Remus stepped forward, but it was too late.

Voldemort's eyes shot open.  

Out of instinct, I let out a small cry and stumbled backward.

"Avada Kedavra," he hissed, quickly drawing his wand on me.  His bloodshot eyes bore into mine.

"No!" bellowed Ron.  He lunged forward out of Harry's grip and threw himself on me as I was blinded by the brilliant green light.  The rest of the Agents tried to Stun Voldemort.

I hit the ground but could feel no pain.  Ron lay sprawled across me, his face buried in my neck.  I lightly turned my head and saw Harry.

He had collapsed to his knees, frozen.  His ashen face held a look of shock, and his normally glittering green eyes stared as if he was in a trance.

I felt a little hazy when I tried to push Ron away.  Surprisingly, I sat up easily and managed to stand up without wobbling.

The other Agents had restrained Voldemort, who looked enraged, in a sullen sort of way.  But Sirius was staring at me, and Harry, looking lost.  Remus' face was buried in his hands.  And Cho was openly crying.  Suddenly, thinking of Ron, I spun around to make sure he was alright.  What I saw made me freeze.

Ron was laid, sobbing, over a body.

I stepped closer, slowly.  Each step was like lightly flying.  I bent nearer to see the body Ron was so preciously clutching.  I recoiled from confusion.

It was me.

~ * ~

Thanks for sticking with me this far, guys. It means a lot!

If you really like my stuff, you can read more at Atlantis.  My latest story is much better, I like to think.  

Thanks to all my last reviewers as well.  I responded to your comments within the review itself; I hope you don't mind.  I also won't mind if you drop another review. ::winks subtly::  Until next time!


	9. Lifeline

Title: Sleeping Dragons (Chapter Nine: Lifeline)

Author Name: Gemini      

Author Email: castorandpollux84@hotmail.com 

Category: Action/Adventure

Keywords: Ron, Hermione, Harry, Draco, Post-Hogwarts

Spoilers: All four books.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: A Post-Hogwarts fic. Harry, Ron and Hermione are 25 and leading a normal life on the surface. Old characters and familiar faces return, including the likes of Draco, Lucius, Sirius, Remus… Cameos by lots of minor characters as well. 

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Chapter Nine: Lifeline

**By Gemini**

It was me. 

I looked down at myself, then to… my other self.  Here I was, perfectly fine and able, and there I was, lying as stiff as a board.

"What's going on?" I asked out loud.  My voice was eerily hollow.  It sounded unearthly.  No one answered.

"Hello?"  They ignored me, as if I was a mere shadow passing through.

It began to dawn on me that I couldn't be seen or heard.  I thought I knew why, but I couldn't accept it yet, I just couldn't.  My brain was telling me, _Yes, it's the only logical conclusion!_  My heart was telling me, _No, I don't want it to be true!_

But of course, I was Hermione.  I was the "know-it-all", even after Hogwarts.  So what did I do? I  listened to my brain.

I was dead.  But how was I still alive?  I couldn't be a ghost because ghosts are always seen.  It was clear that no one could see me, not even the helplessly bound Death Eaters.

While I gathered my thoughts, the other Agents had gathered around Ron and Harry.  Voldemort lay on the ground, but I didn't know if he was dead or alive.  I hoped at the very least he was dying.

I couldn't bear to see Ron, or Harry, or my friends over my body; I could almost feel their pain, especially Ron's.  I focused on myself instead.

  
Looking closer, I discovered a thin, silvery cord that connected my body to, well, my other body at the navel.  And I wasn't standing, like I thought I had been.  I was actually floating.

I tried to take a step forward and found I could do it.  My foot sank a few inches into the earth but I could still walk, in a sense.

I knew what was happening; I had read books.  Call it what you want: astral traveling or an out-of-body experience, but I was definitely doing it, and not intentionally.

According to my _Avada Kedavra_ research, I should have been dead.  _Avada Kedavra_ killed people and banished their soul away from this world.  But this experience I was having, the silver cord and mental aliveness… these were not the signs of death.

I still existed.  And I was ready to be alive again.

"Ron," I said loudly.  "Ron, can you hear me? Harry?"

No answer.  I wasn't expecting one.

"Is she really… dead?" whispered Cho.  _No, I still exist!_

 "No one could have survived that," said Marcy softly.

Ron finally spoke, his voice quivering and his face stained with tears.  "_She_ can survive that.  She has to.  She's… Hermione."  But no one agreed with him.

Remus laid a hand on Ron's shaking shoulder.  "Ron, you must accept it.  Hermione's… She's gone."

"She isn't!" he roared.  "She can't be!"  Ron stood abruptly, backing away from my body.  He grabbed the collar of Remus' cloak and pulled him close.  "She _isn't_ dead."

Remus stepped back, startled, but Sirius had grabbed Ron around the shoulders and pulled him back.

"Ron, don't," Sirius said while Ron struggled against his grip.  "She's…"

Ron pushed Sirius' arms away, but didn't round on him.  He just kneeled by my body again.

"She's not dead," he whispered softly.  "I can still feel her."

I put my hand to my mouth, to try and stop the strangled sob that would escape.  I walked over to him as well as I could and tried to put a hand on his shoulder.  If I concentrated hard enough, I could do it.  But he couldn't possibly have felt it, because even the laws of physics wouldn't let my body become solid.

But what did the laws of physics have to do with magic?

As soon as my hand lightly came into some sort of contact with Ron's shoulder, he let out a shuddering sob.  

"Hermione."

I whirled around, expecting Voldemort or some evil of the like.  But it wasn't him.  Not even close.

"Hermione, do you know who I am?"

She shimmered, almost like an angel.  But she wasn't an angel, she was a beautiful spirit.

"Lily?"

She smiled, with those beautiful green eyes that I had seen so often before.

"Yes."

Here I was, confronted by someone I only knew from stories and photographs, and I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

"Where's James?"

She laughed.  Her photos didn't do her justice.  She was more vibrant than any of her pictures.

"James wasn't able to come," she replied.  "Hermione, I should explain."

I nodded slowly.

"You know the story of how I saved Harry with my love."  It was a statement, not an explanation.  "Well, because of that love, we've been bonded since I died.  James as well, though the bond isn't as strong because of my spell.  James and I became what everyone becomes when they die: a simple soul, a mere spirit.  We couldn't talk to Harry, but through our bond we could watch over him.  When people die, Hermione, they don't disappear forever.  Their souls still exist somewhere.  Isn't that what your _Avada_ _Kedavra_ theory is even based on?"  She looked at me casually, as if we were calmly discussing the latest Canons match.

"That is exactly what my theory is based on," I said nervously.

"Hermione, James and I want our son to be happy," she said gravely, gesturing to Harry.  He had turned away from the scene, from the mourning Agents, from Ron, still as stone.  Harry's back faced us, and he was shaking uncontrollably.

"You are not Harry's lover, nor is Ron a blood brother.  But you are both more important to him than anything he has ever known.  You are his first friends, his true friends, and for that alone he is happy to live.  You have done more good for him than any one of you will ever know, and for that I am grateful.  But I can't bear to see him suffer like this."  Lily stared sadly at her son, a crystal tear dropping onto her cheek.  I felt tears on my own too.  "Everything he has worked so hard to save has fallen apart."

"What are you saying?" I asked.  I had a small suspicion… "Are you going to bring me back?  Can you?"

She shook her head.  "I won't, and I can't."  She must have noticed my crestfallen face because she added, "Not the way you think."

I frowned.  "I'm not going to be reincarnated, am I?  Because I don't really care for that sort of thing.  And I'm still connected to my old body.  And –"

Lily cut me off.  "Hermione, stop."

"I'm sorry," I said meekly.  I glanced back to the scene.  The other Agents had moved away from Ron, and Harry was still by himself, alone.

"I've used up a lot of time already," she said.  "And I can't stay like this much longer."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It takes energy to hold this form together and quite frankly, being dead doesn't give me enough."  She smiled ruefully at me.  Already, she didn't look as vibrant as she had when she first appeared.

"Will you tell me what to do then?"

"I'm sorry, Hermione, I can't tell you what to do.  The dead cannot act in the affairs of the living.  When we are dead, time becomes clear and meaningless, and trust me, bad things will happen when the dead and alive collide."

"But… How will you save me?"

"Dear girl, I cannot save you," she said, smiling sadly.  "You must save yourself."

My face fell.  "How?"

"Remember your research, Hermione.  What is your theory? What is the basis of the connection from this world to the next?"

"The connection is the soul," I said slowly. "It always exists.  But those people we brought back died again."

"Why?" she pressed.

And it dawned on me. I wasn't dead yet.  I was dead in a technical sense, but I was still connected to my body by the silver cord – my lifeline.

"So," I whispered, "if they brew the _Avada Kedavra_ counter spell, then I will be alive again?"  Lily nodded.  "Why am I like this though?  Why am I actually not dead, not banished from this world?"

"_Avada Kedavra_ is a strange spell, Hermione.  It works on many different levels.  This time, Voldemort was weak, slipping away from life itself.  How could he completely take your life if he didn't have any of his own?"

I nodded. But I needed one more answer.

"Lily, how will be I be brought back?  How do I tell them what to do?"

She smiled.  "You won't have to."  She pointed to my friends, where Cho was already laying out the ingredients and Owen was setting up the procedure.  I saw the look on Ron's face and knew he was fighting hope. If this didn't work, nothing else would.  Harry was still alone.

Lily shook her head. "Typical Ravenclaws." 

"I still don't understand," I said.  "If my friends don't need help for this, then why are you here?"

She smiled sadly. "To protect you."

"From what?"

"From me." I turned around.  And backed slowly away, toward Lily.

"Voldemort?"

"Yes, it is I once again."  He looked just as he did currently lying on the ground.  Tall, dark and pale at the same time.  

"We meet again," said Lily.  She regarded him coolly as I stood by her side, almost hiding behind her.  

"Lily Potter."  Voldemort nodded at her.  "It hasn't been too long since we last met."

She stared at him, unafraid and indifferent.  I was still in shock.

"Lily," I whispered, "what's going on?"

Making no attempt to lower her voice, she said to me, "Hermione, haven't you figured it out by now? If you're 'dead' and here, then where else would Voldemort be?"

And she was right.  Another cord connected Voldemort's image to his dead body.

Lily put her arm in front of me, as if to protect me.  It felt real and solid, but she was growing fainter.

"You won't have her," she said clearly.

"Oh, but I must," he replied.  "I will come back to life again and again, and she will help me do so."

I was so confused.  

Voldemort laughed.  "Do you think you can stop me?"

At that point, Lily whispered to me, "Hermione, your friends are almost finished with the Potion. Do you think you can make a run back to your body?"  I nodded fearfully.  "Good.  Do as I say."

She turned back to Voldemort and continued her former conversation with him.

"Tom, there are so many possibilities, do you really think that particular one will play itself out?"

His smile turned into a frown.  "I can feel it.  You're up to something, aren't you?"

Lily stayed silent. 

"You always were. You and that precious Potter, always having something up your sleeve to throw me off.  Well, it won't work this time.  I _will_ take his blood.  And when he's dead, I will rule as the lone Heir, without Harry Potter to stop me."

Harry stood in the way of Voldemort?

"You will never achieve that goal," said Lily.  "There will always be someone to stop you."  But she looked more nervous than before.

"You're lying," he said, almost happily.  "After Harry, who is left?  He hasn't produced another Heir yet."

Ah, I understood now.

"Lily, what's he going to do?" I whispered to her.

But she didn't answer. Instead, Voldemort began to move sideways until he came to the silver lifeline that stretched from me to the body that my friends had lain on the stone pedestal.

He grinned a wicked grin at me, and stretched his hand to touch it.  It was the most horrible pain I had ever experienced.  It wasn't pain of the body, but rather pain of the mind as Voldemort tried to steal my life away.  I cried out as Lily reached to put her hand on my lifeline as well.  She took away some of the pain, but not all.

"Stay strong," she whispered.

It was over as soon as Voldemort lifted his hand, and I felt normal again, if dead was normal.  I couldn't even feel the repercussions of the pain; it was like it had never happened.  

Looking to my other body, I saw my friends were in an uproar, especially Ron.  My body had actually started spasming because the pain was so intense that it must have flowed through the lifeline itself.  

Voldemort lifted his hand again and I cowered behind Lily like a child, as if it would help.  She put her hand on it again, to protect me from at least some of the pain.  Was this truly good versus evil?  The very soul of what could only be defined as goodness, pitted against the embodiment of evil.  And there was me in-between.

The pain was harsh, but not as intense as the first time.  But Lily seemed strained and much fainter; she was taking part of the pain for me.

"Hermione," she whispered.  "Your friends are almost finished.  When they cast the spell, I need you to run as fast as you can toward them, to ease the distance.  I'll take care of Voldemort for you.  I promise; Voldemort will not take your life away from you."

I stared at her wide-eyed.  "Lily, you mustn't."

"I _will_," she said with force.  

We looked to where my body was lying, with Remus and Cho reciting the spell.  Ron watched, hoping against all odds that it would work.  (Of course it would; it was my own research, after all.)  Harry, his green eyes blank, sat desolately at the edge of the group with Sirius standing protectively behind him.  

The spell was beginning to work; I could feel it.  But the sheer pain that pounded through my mind hadn't disappeared and I was growing fainter myself.  Lily was struggling to protect me, I knew.    

She leaned down.  "Alright, Hermione, listen.  Your friends are almost finished.  I'm going to let go of you and you must run toward them. Ignore the pain, it will go away soon.  Trust me."

"Lily, what are you going to do?" I asked.  I was sure I sounded afraid.

"Trust me.  And please, tell Harry… Tell Harry that his father and I love him."

I nodded gravely.  "Of course."

"We'll continue to keep watch over you, don't worry.  And Hermione, I'm very glad to have met you.  Thank you for what you've done for our son."

We stared at each other, knowing what it meant that she had given up her life to save Harry's.  

"Go, Hermione, now!"  She broke the contact, and the pain flooded back.  I stumbled as I ran.  Voldemort smiled like a sinister cat as he followed me and my lifeline.

The distance between me and my body grew shorter and shorter, and my lifeline grew brighter and stronger.  But that only meant that Voldemort could take more of my life from me.  I could not feel physical pain, but if I could, my eyes would have been streaming with tears.

I reached the pedestal, passing through a few Agents on the way.  They shivered as I glided through them like the ghost I seemed to be.  My life was coming back.  

Suddenly, Voldemort let loose a shriek of agony.  After Lily had let me go, she made her way to where he stood.  I looked back as I waited impatiently for Cho and Remus to finish the spell; they were so close.  

Lily had her hand on Voldemort's throat.  It wasn't the savage image I had expected.  She was angry, but calm.  This was the epitome of good against evil, just as I thought it was.  Where her hand laid, a light grew so bright that I couldn't even bear to look at it.  And I knew.  I knew that she was killing Voldemort once and for all.

Three things were happening at once.  Voldemort was taking my life, Lily was taking his power, and I was being brought back to life.

It was almost like waking up from a dream.  Gone was the pain, gone was the sensation of flying, and here was Ron, peering down at me worriedly.  His eyes were red and puffy, and they grew wide as I physically opened my own eyes in my own body.

"Hermione?" he whispered.

"Ron."

He swept me into a hug so tight that I thought he would never let me go. I didn't want him to.

Collecting my thoughts, I pushed him, and everyone else, away.  I hopped off the stone pedestal without any trace of, well, being dead.  

I scanned the area for Lily or Voldemort, but of course I couldn't find them.  They only existed in the realm of the dead, and Voldemort would stay there forever.  

"Hermione! What are you doing?"  Ron ran up to me and grabbed my arm, as if I was about to disappear.  

"She's done it," I said softly.

"Who? Who's done what? _Hermione_!"  

I turned back to an almost devastated Ron, a wide-eyed Harry, and the rest of my friends.  "No one. It's alright, I'll explain later."  Without any sort of acknowledgment, Ron wrapped me into a big hug and began to sob and laugh into my hair.

I started to cry and immediately berated myself for it.  But I was so glad to be myself again.  It felt different, being dead.  Emotions and touch were muted, and I felt like only my mind existed.  Here in Callanish, by the stone pillars and the rising sun, did I truly feel alive.  

Harry broke into a run towards me and Ron.  The three of us wrapped each ourselves in a giddy hug, relieved of the fear and devastation.  

Harry whispered into my ear, "Hermione, I'm so sorry."

"Harry," I began, "you have nothing to be sorry about.  It's not your fault, and it never was.  That's just the way life goes."  He only hugged me tighter.

I was finally let go by my two best friends, only to be hugged by everyone else.  

Voldemort's body lay cold and still, and I knew he would never come back.  And I smiled.

Remus had brought a Portkey, which he and Patrick used to take away Lucius and the Death Eaters, who had been sitting and watching in disgust and boredom.

As the sun rose, we Apparated home.

~ * ~

"I now pronounce you wizard and wife."

We cheered as Harry escorted Ginny back down the aisle, and I smiled at the older brother pride on all of the Weasley siblings' faces.  Arthur, of course, couldn't have looked happier and Molly was vaguely reminiscent of my own mother when I married Ron – laughing, smiling and always seen sobbing into a white handkerchief.

Ginny was a radiant red-haired angel and Harry was far from the shy boy he once was.  "They're going to be so happy together," I whispered to Ron as they glided by us, grinning and waving.  Ron looked furiously joyful.  Finally, his best friend was now really his brother.

Harry and Ginny left the Quidditch pitch of Hogwarts and one by one, the wedding guests made their way to the Great Hall where the feast would be held.

It had been Harry's idea to have the wedding at Hogwarts. The Burrow was simply too small to accommodate so many guests, and where else but Hogwarts?  We became friends there and the stone walls probably knew more about us than anyone else.

Ron offered his arm to me and I took it happily.  We began walking with the rest of the Weasleys to the Great Hall, chatting amongst ourselves with the glee we were all experiencing.

Surprisingly enough, Harry had asked Fred and George to provide the entertainment.  What he was thinking then, I'll never know.  I had to hand it to him though, they did liven up the party.  The guests were sprinkled with bright colour-changing confetti and every so often, some unlucky wizard would turn a random colour.  Fred and George had charmed one out of every hundred or so confetti pieces to turn the victim into whatever colour they were reflecting at the moment – courtesy of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Arthur and Molly led the procession followed by some professors, and then us Weasleys.  Fred and Angelina, carrying their darling baby, were in front, closely followed by George and Katie.

Bill and his latest girlfriend, Michaela, were next.  Luckily, Michaela wasn't as thunderstruck as any of his previous girlfriends, who tended to be put in complete awe in the presence of the Minister of Magic, a star Keeper and the Boy Who Lived.  Bill explained to us that Michaela was a leading Daily Prophet interviewer, so she was used to the high profiles.  Needless to say, this was one of the reasons why we all liked her so much.

Percy and his horde of girls, including Penelope, were next, trailed by Charlie and Samantha.  Percy was unlucky enough to have been hit by a charmed confetti piece and had turned into a shocking shade of blue.  His daughters found him greatly amusing to say the least, and took turns shouting out "Cookie Monster!" (Compliments of their grandfather, who had just found the other kind of magic called television, and Sesame Street.)  

When we arrived at the Great Hall, Harry and Ginny were already there to receive the guests.  Where the staff normally sat during the school year was now the bride and groom's place of honour.  The guests filed in, quickly filled the Hall and sat in their properly marked places.

At the head table, Ron and I sat with the rest of the Weasleys on Ginny's side, while Harry's side consisted of Sirius, Remus, their dates, and the Hogwarts Professors.  The kids had to sit at their own special table, otherwise, we'd have been crammed full.  Blue Percy drew a lot of attention (mostly giggles).

Everyone was so giddy and eager to start the party that it took Harry a little while to get the crowd's attention.  Finally, we grew quiet in honour of the impatient groom.  Ginny stood to join him in their speech.

"Thank you all, for being able to attend," he said.  "It means the world to us."

"It doesn't matter who you are, whether it be work colleagues, cousins –"

"- Or world famous Quidditch players," Harry interrupted.

"- You are all our family and friends, and for that we are thankful."  Ginny blushed as we stormed our applause.

"Now, let us begin!"  On our tables appeared masses and masses of all sorts of food.  Ron grabbed a plateful of chicken while I folded a napkin over my lap.

We talked among our table while we feasted.  As usual, Quidditch reigned as the supreme topic among the males.  I sat between Ron and George, so I was caught in the middle.  The hall was noisy, but it was the good kind of noise – the sounds of happy people free of worries and troubles.

At the end of our meal when everyone had finished eating, the tables disappeared taking away the dirty dishes and goblets.  It was time for dancing.

Of course, Harry and Ginny went first to the tune of a famous wizarding ballad, surrounded by family and friends.  A string quartet of wizards played on a small makeshift stage as we watched, sighing and gushing to our heart's content.

Ron pulled out a camera and took a picture; hopefully Harry and Ginny didn't notice.  Ron and I had our own dancing pictures, and we put it on our fireplace mantle.  Everyday, we saw ourselves dancing at our own wedding, and it always gave me the most wonderful feeling.  We thought we'd give the same gift to Harry and Ginny.

The ballad ended, and a new song started out.  The quartet was replaced by more modern singers, a new age band called _The Faithful_.  The two main singers, Caitlyn and Zoe, had the most beautiful voices of the newer bands, and Ginny had immediately snatched up the opportunity to hire them when she interviewed the band for _Witchbeat_.  

I began to dance with Ron to the tune of a Celtic waltz, and watched as the other couples began to move onto the dance floor.  

I saw a lot of Agents, and I was thankful Harry had managed to invite them.   He told us that he claimed they were Quidditch friends; hopefully Ginny believed him.  The entire Chudley Cannons team had come, so more Quidditch players wouldn't seem out of place.  

Still, an excuse was needed to invite Draco.  I have no idea how Harry handled that one.  

Draco was a bit offset at first.  The _Daily Prophet_ had printed an article about his discovery and where he had been the past ten years, so at least everyone knew the true story.  But it was still awkward to have a wizard deemed Dark in the past to suddenly appear among merriness.

Still, that didn't stop a few girls from fawning over him.  His appearance improved a lot since that night that I died, and now he looked like his old self.  I watched him over Ron's shoulder, and he and a red-headed girl made their way to the dance floor.  There was no doubt about it: she was a Weasley cousin.  She had curly red hair and freckles, and a striking china-doll face.  The other girls who had tried to capture Draco's attention alongside her shot her angry glares, but she grinned cheekily at them over his shoulder.

Remus and Sirius had come with their respective dates: two witches from the U.A.A.  They suited each other perfectly.  Remus' date, Michelle, read books, essays and composed music to which Remus would try to plunk out the tune, while Sirius' date, Maureen, partied and danced to her (and his) heart's content.__

The high table reappeared at the side of the room, and desserts sprang up from the dishes.  A few guests made their way to the table, while others stayed and danced.  Harry had cut in on me and Ron earlier, so I made my way to the desserts where Ron was chatting with Cho and her date, Oliver Wood.  They were talking about… You guessed it: Quidditch.

"The Arrows are going down next year," Ron remarked to Cho as I walked up.

She sighed. "Oh please, our line-up's gotten better, and I do believe we train way more often than you do."

Oliver snorted.  "Right."  But I saw the look on his face and knew he was mentally making up extra practice sessions for the next few months.

"Hermione!"  Ron put his arm around me.  "Ready to get back on the dance floor?"

"Not yet," I said, smiling.  "Harry tired me out and I need a break."

We talked with Oliver and Cho amiably as Draco and his date sidled up.  We greeted them, though Oliver was a bit hesitant about Draco at first.  Luckily, Ron covered up the awkwardness as he stepped forward and twirled Draco's date about in a bear hug.  

"Aisling, I haven't seen you for so long!"

  
She laughed, replying, "Well, chasing dragons in Romania doesn't let me come home often."

Ron turned to me.  "Hermione, this is Aisling, yet another one of my cousins. She's been in Romania for the past ten or so years.  She works with Charlie, actually."

I shook her long, piano-playing hand.  "Very nice to meet you, finally.  One down, a billion more to go, right?"  We laughed.  I had been in the Weasley family for years, but hadn't met all of them yet.

Harry and Ginny, out of breath, joined us at the table.  

"How are you guys doing?" asked Cho.  "Holding up alright?"

"I think we'll be okay," Ginny answered.  Her smile shone with radiance.  "This is probably the best day of my life."

"I certainly hope so," said Harry.  

Cho and Oliver headed out to the dance floor, as well as Draco and Aisling.  Ron and I were left with Ginny and Harry.

We stood silently among the music and laughter, simply smiling at each other.  Words weren't necessary.

I broke the silence first.  "Congratulations!"  I lunged myself toward Ginny and grabbed her in a hug so tight that I heard her squawk in protest against my ear.  

Harry and Ron laughed, but they joined in on the hug.  

"A little eager there, Hermione?" Sirius and Maureen had walked up without our noticing.

"I'm just… I'm just very happy, that's all," I said, dabbing at my eyes with a handkerchief.

Remus and Michelle came up as well.  Introductions were made all around, covering Michelle and Maureen as regular Aurors.  They offered her glad tidings as Ginny grinned at them.

"Michelle here plays the violin," Remus said proudly.  "And, she's been trying to teach me how to play the piano, but I've had little luck."

"Apparently, Remus is a bit tone-deaf," said Michelle, laughing at him.

Sirius shook his head sadly.  "Remus never was good with the music bit when we were at Hogwarts.  Couldn't tell the difference between any old classics."

"Sirius, I don't think anyone knows the old classics as well as you do," said Maureen. She turned to whisper to us conspiratorially.  "Sirius loves to play all his old wizarding songs.  He still thinks they're popular today.

Sirius grinned. "Don't deny it, Mo, you love them too."

Finally, another ballad began to play out.  Ron and I walked with the others onto the dance floor as a few candles snuffed themselves out to dim the lighting.  

Ron held me close as we danced, lost in a world of our own.  I sighed happily, whispering, "I'm so glad I'm this lucky.  We have the best family and friends."

"I'm just glad you're here with me," said Ron.  He smiled down at me.  Neither of us liked to talk about that night at Callanish, but one thing was for sure: we appreciated life with each other much more since then.

"Harry and Ginny look wonderful together, don't they?" I asked.

"Definitely.  They're almost like us."

We watched as the bride and groom danced their way past us, and I thought I heard Harry whisper, "You don't mind all those Quidditch players that I invited, do you?"

Ginny giggled quietly.  "Quidditch players. Right. In the way that you're 'just a Quidditch player too'?

"Shh, not so loud! Dumbledore might hear you!"  They danced away, out of hearing range.

  
But as I looked at Dumbledore, he was smiling knowingly at the newly wed pair.  He and Headmistress McGonagall waltzed fluidly, with years of experience.  

Ron shook his head.  "Harry wouldn't have been able to contain himself. Of course he's told Ginny."

"Good," I said.  "She deserves to know."

Ron just held me closer, and we danced till the Great Hall's ceiling turned to glittering starlight.

_The End_.

~ * ~


End file.
